While it is possible to enjoy special occasion foods in moderation and maintain an overall eating pattern that supports health, this year my approach was – don't let food stress you out more. It is the season to gather with friends, family — and good food!
Eating is more than the delivery of nutrients. We have cultural and emotional connections with the food we put into our body.
The holidays are not a time to add extra pressure on yourself to eat a certain way. I believe that spending time with family members or friends you don’t typically see should be an enjoyable experience. An occasional indulgence during the holidays isn’t something to stress about.
This Christmas, wife had had to travel, and no kids were coming to visit. I was going to celebrate holidays with my two dogs. The day before, text message arrived from my neighbors Karen and James inviting me to their house for Christmas dinner.
The experience was incredible. All dinner meals were Louisiana style foods that I never had before. The food was great, and I enjoyed their company. The names of the foods that Karen and James cooked were difficult to remember, so I asked James to write them down for me and I am posting them here.
Thank you, Karen and James!
Avoiding non-essential gatherings is important for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
ReplyDeleteChristmas comes but once a year (unless you celebrate Christmas in July) so why deprive yourself of traditional (or in your case non-traditional) holiday meals? My thoughts are that you can indulge yourself on the holidays and make up for it afterwards as long as you don't fall into the trap of indulging (or worse, overindulging) every day and saying "I'll change next time")
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your situation. This is the first time, in 15 years that my husband and I have not spent Christmas together. I’m on the west coast and he’s on the East, even though the time apart is temporary and we talk on the phone every night, but the holidays are not the same without him and he feels that way too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteEven with the reopening of bars, restaurants and cinemas, the atmosphere of cautiousness and the constant presence of risk can put a damper on spending time with the people who recharge our energy and make our lives more interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe spontaneity of spending time with others, and the overall sense of when and how we can see the people we enjoy being around, have all been affected.
Giving yourself these "allowances" to enjoy breaking bread with friends and family is crucial for maintaining balance in our lives. And I truly believe that balance is a major key to success in our weight loss/health journeys, as well as every other component in life!
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