Do you feel like you’re either ‘being good’ or ‘eating badly’ with very little in between?
Please take this as your annual reminder that sometimes good enough is, well, good enough!
Many people feel a sense of dread when they think about the food and drink around at Christmas. Some even go as far as avoiding certain events so they don’t lose control over what they’re eating. I think this is a real shame, I’d really like to help you avoid that feeling this year.
I’d like you to remember that we eat for lots of reasons which aren’t nutrition. Food is also a way to celebrate, a way to join together with our friends and family. Food can bring back memories and help create new ones. And so, the idea that veggies are good and mince pies are bad means that we are ignoring many of the reasons we eat.
‘Eating well’ to ‘eating badly’ is a spectrum, and you’re not always at one end or the other.
It is quite reasonable to find a balance between the food and drink you want to enjoy, and the food and drink which is supportive to your health goals. This is most clear-cut at Christmas, but it is true for the rest of the year as well.
Sometimes, you’ll be focussing harder on your health goals, and sometimes you’ll be focussing more on the non-nutrition reasons we eat.
So, choose a few things you can do over Christmas which ARE aligned with your overall goal, and choose a few things which allow you to enjoy the non-nutritional reasons for eating.
Cut yourself some slack and let good enough be good enough!