The Holiday Food Battle

I was standing in the grocery store aisle, surrounded by black and orange. All I needed was a gallon of milk. But in order to pick up a gallon of milk, I had to traverse through a maze of black and orange Halloween merchandise, including piles of candy. Despite my passionate embrace of healthy living and eating, I’m a sucker for chocolate Halloween candy. I sighed a deep, bone-shaking sigh, knowing the holiday food battle had begun.

Every year at this time, I have a little pep talk with myself about holiday eating. It generally goes like this:

“Remember to eat mindfully and enjoy your food.”

“Make sure half your plate is full of vegetables.”

“Treat yourself, but in moderation.”

“Stop when you are full.”

That’s great advice and when I follow it, I feel pretty good both physically and emotionally. Not choosing to follow my own advice and resist temptation is what trips me up. After all, I may not see another apple pie before next Thanksgiving.  And I certainly won’t make Christmas chocolate mint cloud cookies for another year. The present opportunity seems so urgent and fleeting!

Thankfully, there are others who have written inspiring, scientifically-based articles on healthy eating. Check out the newly-released article on holiday eating by Sharon Greenspan in the November/December issue of Energy Magazine. (Not a subscriber? It’s free! Click “Subscribe” in the left-hand sidebar.) You can find other articles about healthy eating written by Sharon Greenspan, Joan Borysenko and others in Energy Magazine’s article index by clicking here.

Holiday eating doesn’t have to be a battle of wills. I managed to pull myself away from the siren call of the black and orange aisle in the grocery store. Once I got home, I dipped into the chocolate stash in the cupboard and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be tempted to overindulge before the holidays are over; but each time, I can choose. With mindfulness, holiday eating can be a time of celebration and connection to beloved traditions.

May victory be yours!