It is particularly difficult to eat well this time of year. In this article, I share some strategies to prevent over-consumption and holiday weight gain—strategies that will also dramatically reduce your stress!

The holiday season is my favorite time of year, but for many of us it is a time filled with stress, anxiety, and guilt. We all want to have a wonderful holiday with our loved ones, but sometimes, in spite of our best intentions, we get the holiday blues.

The demands of the season can easily get out of hand. The stress of finding the perfect gifts is time-consuming and can turn a typically pleasant activity into a stressful endeavor. Then there are parties and fundraisers and dinners and church commitments and meals to prepare, presents to wrap, and houses to decorate—the list goes on and on.  And of course, wonderful goodies are everywhere—the kind that are impossible to resist and cause the all too familiar holiday weight gain. Even before your body reaches the tipping point, sugar crashes can cause mood swings that easily take down your already stressed, Christmas-crazed self. If you turn to sweets when you are stressed, the temptation to overindulge this time of year can be too much. After all, consuming sweets often is a form of self-medicating and some of us deal with stress by over-eating.

Many of us will leave the month of December exhausted. We will make promises to ourselves to take better care, drink less alcohol, consume fewer sugary treats, exercise, get more sleep, slow down, and lose weight. Maybe it is the stress of the month of December that drives us to make so many New Year’s resolutions!

How is it that we still feel stressed, exhausted and even sad when we are indulging in our favorite, nostalgic holiday treats? Maybe the treats are part of the problem. There is a clear connection between the amount of unhealthy holiday foods consumed and a person’s emotional status. Most people eating a standard American diet are already dealing with blood sugar dysregulation. When you add in the Christmas goodies, it can exacerbate this problem. High carbohydrate foods like desserts cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. These fluctuations can become so problematic that they impair your body’s ability to manage your blood sugar, which affects your mood. Sugar and wheat are also known to cause serious systemic inflammation, which can make you feel uncomfortable and moody.

What can we do to make this time of year all we would like it to be without losing control of our health? The secret is staying ahead of the game. I try to keep Christmas as easy as possible, and since buying gifts can be stressful, I give gift cards or cash to my kids. When it comes to gifts, I usually get it wrong anyway and the gifts usually go back to the store after they are opened (it is hard to please three strong-willed teenage girls!). Simplifying your gift-giving can be a huge stress-reducer.

Food choices are a major contributor to Christmas stress. I don’t think it’s worth it to eat goodies, no matter how good they look and taste, and then have to deal with the fallout. Making a conscious choice to eat healthy food is the biggest way we keep the holiday fun and stress-free. With enough planning, I can make sure there are regular, healthy meals available for myself and my family. Eating too many of the wrong foods will be less of a temptation if we fill up on healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Healthy meals will keep my blood sugar in line and prevent me from reaching for junk to keep my energy up. A serving of something made with an abundance of animal fat (for example: Broccoli Chicken with Creamy Cheese Sauce) does wonders for my well-being and helps me feel satiated enough to pass on the Christmas cookies.

Eating well and not skipping meals during this time of year goes a long way towards maintaining a healthy weight. We may be tempted to skip meals as a weight-reduction tactic or because we are busy, but in reality, this will make us more likely to binge. Eating three healthy meals a day is the best defense against the holiday goodies you can’t get away from. Too many of us skip meals, primarily breakfast. 18% of middle-aged males and 13% of females reported that they eat nothing before 11am (1). Research suggests that adolescents who snack throughout the day are more likely to skip meals (2). And, as we know, snacking around the holidays often leads to poor food choices. If you want to ensure your kids are healthy and happy this holiday season, set aside time to prepare and eat nutritious meals as a family. These meals are also a great way to get in some much-needed family time.

I want to enjoy this season. I want to spend this precious time preparing healthy and delicious meals and enjoying the company of friends and family. I want to simplify and ditch the blues that come with too many expectations. The holidays really are about the simple things and feeling thankful for the many blessing we enjoy, especially our good health. Here’s to peace on earth and good health, the love of good friends and family, and nutritious holiday foods.

Cited References:

  1. 31 million U.S. consumers skip breakfast each day, reports NDP. The NDP Group; October 11, 2011. Available here. Accessed December 1, 2016.
  2. Savige G, MacFarlane A, Ball K, Worsley A, Crawford D. Snacking behaviours of adolescents and their association with skipping meals. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity; September 17, 2007. Available here. Accessed December 1, 2016.
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