Simple Nutrition Guidelines for Holiday Parties and Food

So here we are. It’s “the holiday season” and you know what that means!

Actually, it could mean a lot of things for different people. On a practical level, it can often mean a busy time of year with a variety of social obligations—holiday parties for work, with friends, with work friends, with your friend’s work friends or with family.

And with all of those holiday parties comes the wondrous variety of foods that your gracious hosts (and, in some cases, fellow guests) will set out for you to enjoy.

Yum!

Or AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Or both.

We get it: holiday parties often feature a selection of foods that you might not normally eat.

Or foods that you want to eat but don’t eat as often as you’d like because you feel like if you did, that would somehow be bad.

But you were invited to the party and it’s not like you’re going to just not eat anything. That would be rude! (And frustrating).

And so it is, in the spirit of the season, that we would like to share with you some easy to follow guidelines for navigating the sorts of tricky situations that come up with holiday parties and all of the food on offer. Please note that the following will be offered in the spirit of Reimagym’s glorious #f*ckdietculture ethos.

Desserts and other Sweet Stuff

Yes. We’re starting with desserts because we’re all adults here and if we want to start with dessert, we can.

If you see a yummy-looking dessert or treat at a party that you feel tempted to eat:

Eat the treat and enjoy doing so.

Savor it. Take your time with it. And when you’re done, one thing you could try is waiting for ten minutes or so. And then take note of how your body feels.

You could even try noticing how your body feels with no judgement. This is a party, after all. And, it’s a useful practice to make a point of noticing how your body feels after you eat food.

If you suspect that you might end up feeling guilty about eating a tasty dessert at this party, then maybe you call yourself good after one serving. Or two. Or whatever you feel like doing. Please know that whatever choice you make is fine.

“Junk Food”

Let’s have a brief chat about this whole “junk” food idea.

Food is food.

There is no good food and there is no bad food.

Different foods have different nutritional makeups, and different foods will have different impacts on different bodies…and even then, a lot depends on the quantity of the food and the current state of the individual body…all of which is to say there’s no such thing as food that is inherently good or bad.

By extension, we might as well get rid of the idea of junk food as well.

Sure, some food will provide more nutritional benefit than other foods…but there’s also something to be said for the enjoyment of the food. There is nothing useful about our society’s tendency to moralize food and food choices. Moreover, it only serves to reinforce the idea that we should feel some amount of guilt and shame over whether we are eating “right”.

So, with that said, if you are at a party and there is “junk” food on offer and you feel like eating it:

Eat the “junk” food and enjoy it.

Savor it. Take your time with it. And when you’re done, maybe wait for ten minutes or so and then take note of how your body feels.

Notice how your body feels with no judgement. Again, it’s a party and presumably we’re here to enjoy ourselves. Besides, it’s a useful practice to make a point of noticing how your body feels after you eat food.

If you suspect that you might end up feeling guilty about eating some tasty “junk food” at this party, consider limiting yourself to just one serving. Or two. Either way, please know that it’s ok for you to eat whatever you feel like eating.

Savory/Rich/Heavy Foods

This is a popular non-dessert food category for holiday party food. Foods in this category often include lots of delicious cheese or sauces or gravy. Sometimes they involve crescent rolls, which this author thinks are divine.

If you are at a party and anything from this category of food catches your eye (or nose) and you feel like eating it:

Eat the savory/rich/heavy yumminess and enjoy it.

Savor it. Take your time with it. And when you’re done, wait for ten minutes or so and then take note of how your body feels.

Notice how your body feels with no judgement. We can judge the bathroom decor at this party, but there’s no need to judge you. This is a party, after all. And it’s a useful practice to make a point of noticing how your body feels after you eat food.

If you suspect that you might end up feeling guilty about eating a yummy savory/rich/heavy dish at this party, consider limiting yourself to just one serving. Know that it’s ok for you to enjoy eating whatever you feel like eating.

Day-After Exercise Strategy

You know that whole ‘I’m gonna exercise extra-hard today because I ate so much yesterday’ idea that somehow manages to persist out there in the collective consciousness?

Yeah, that’s not how it works.

It’s bullshit.

Not based on any sound science at all.

Food choices, nutrition and the impact they have on your health happen over a longer timeline than one party. Or a few weeks of parties. What this means is that the food choices you make at one holiday party or one holiday meal are not going to have a significant impact on your health and wellness (unless, of course, you eat something that tastes really yummy and you enjoy the experience…) in the long-term. And this applies to any food choices you might make.

Similarly, doing an “extra” or “extra intense” workout the day before or after is not going to “balance out” the food you eat at one meal or party. That’s simply not how food, exercise and their interaction with your body work. The problem here is that we’ve been duped into thinking of this as a one-for-one kind of thing, when the reality of how this works happens along a longer timeline. (I’ll avoid ranting about it too much here. For now, suffice it to say that pre- or post-[insert holiday meal or party food here] workouts really only serve to reinforce the idea that we should do some sort of penance for our eating “sins”, which only serves to add guilt and shame to the mix, neither of which are helpful or productive, so f**k that s**t. End mini-rant.)

So, our recommended exercise strategy for the day after a holiday part where you may have indulged in some sweet treats, “junk food” and/or savory, rich or heavy foods, goes like this: don’t do anything differently.

If you would normally do a workout, then do your workout. Your normal workout.

If you don’t have a workout scheduled, then don’t work out.

Bonus/Optional Strategy

If you find that you are consistently experiencing some dissatisfaction with the foods on offer at holiday parties, consider a pre-party meal. This way, you are in complete control over what you eat and you’ll arrive at the party less hungry.

Pressed for time before the party? Consider a protein shake. Or a protein bar.

Couldn’t get a pre-party meal or shake or bar in? Not too worry. Just use the guidelines above and enjoy yourself!

Looking beyond the holiday season for a more long-term strategy? Consider our Nutrition Coaching program. We’re both Precision Nutrition Certified Coaches and we use a simple, easy-to-adopt, habit-based approach to nutrition that’s tailored to you and your life. Wanna know more? Drop us a line and we can chat.