How to have an intuitive Christmas

This time of year only comes around once so it’s important to enjoy yourself and not stress about overeating occasionally or not getting as much balance in your meals as you might like. That’s okay! There won’t be any long term effects on your health and actually enjoying time spent with friends and family instead of mentally calorie counting will only be beneficial for your overall well-being.

So this sounds great in theory right…But how to put it into practice? Here are some tips for how you can have a more intuitive, non-diet Christmas and truly have a festive season free from food-worry!

Be choosy 

There's only so much Christmassy food you can eat so pick only the foods that you REALLY love. Try not to be persuaded to eat those foods you don't really like. You might even discover that you’re drawn to different types of foods and find new Christmas food favourites!

Tune into your body 

If your stomach is trying to let you know you've had enough or you’ve eaten a bit much and your gut still feels off hours later, make note. You can learn from this and strive to try and eat in accordance with how it’s going to make your body feel next time. But always remember it’s not the end of the world if you do overeat sometimes, especially this time of year – be kind to yourself!

Try something new 

If you've always turned your nose up at Christmas day Brussels sprouts why not give them another go? Eating a wide variety of different types of food helps us get a good balance of nutrients and you might even surprise yourself and your tastebuds!

If you're hungry, eat! 

Instead of hitting a party with a huge buffet starving and diving in head first, have a snack before you go. You'll then find it much easier to really savour what you choose and eat until comfortably full. Remember it’s okay to eat when you’re hungry!!

Savour every bite 

Eating mindfully whenever you can over the holiday and really paying attention to the delicious scents, tastes and textures will help you to really enjoy your food. And you may even find yourself satisfied with less food than usual.

And finally, beware of the "I'll be good in January" club – these tips apply to every time of year. Instead of consistently overeating in December and trying to make amends in January, instead practice these tips for intuitive eating throughout the year. 

See what happens… is it more sustainable to eat in accordance with your body than to blast the juicer and gym for 2 weeks then fall right back into old patterns? I’ll leave that with you and for now wish you a very intuitive Christmas and a non-diet New Year!