December - Cheers to Wellness: Celebrating a Healthy Holiday Season

With December comes the Holiday Season, a time for celebrating with friends and family, and celebrations and holiday meals from many different cultures, including Christmas, Channukah, Solstice, and Kwanzaa. While this time of year is joyous, for many, it can bring up feelings of loneliness and sadness and even anxiety and guilt surrounding food and lifestyle. Weight gain, particularly during the holidays, is something demonized by society and often leads to negative narratives surrounding your body and food.

By assigning negative emotions to food being consumed, the “desire to not gain weight” often backfires as restriction leads to overindulgence. This December, instead of practicing restriction, practice mindfulness, and the best way to do this is by following the principles of intuitive eating. One of the principles, gentle exercise, is incredibly important during this time of year as exercise is a wonderful way to spend time with loved ones. Going on a walk after a meal or dancing to music, is an easy way to move your body, and connect with those close to you. 

10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

• The first principle of intuitive eating is to reject the diet mentality. Dieting is ingrained in every facet of our society, in the media we consume, and in the biases that almost everyone has. While diet books and food plans offer quick solutions to losing weight, these claims are false and can cause anger as well as negative relationships with food.

• The second principle of intuitive eating is to honor your hunger. Learning how to listen to the cues of your body is the first step towards building a relationship with yourself and food. Reaching excessive hunger can lead to eating beyond comfortable fullness.

• The third principle of intuitive eating is making peace with food. Having rules in your mind or saying that certain foods are “bad” or “good” can lead to feelings of deprivation and, often, bingeing. Eating all foods in moderation while listening to and honoring fullness cues leads to a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food. 

• The fourth principle of intuitive eating is discovering the satisfaction factor. Eating should be pleasurable, and by eating what you want in a conducive environment, this can be achieved. 

• The fifth principle of intuitive eating is to feel your fullness. While eating, listen to your body’s signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry! A great way to do this is by putting your fork down between bites, focusing on chewing, and pausing in the middle of eating to check in with yourself. 

• The sixth principle of intuitive eating is to challenge the food police. By pushing back against the internal voices that make you feel hopeless or guilty, intuitive eating can be achieved. No one is perfect, strive for progress, not perfection. 

• The seventh principle of intuitive eating is to cope with your emotions with kindness. Anxiety and depression are feelings that everyone experiences throughout life, and they each have their own triggers. For many, food is a coping mechanism, and while there is nothing shameful about this, emotional eating may only make you feel worse long term. Learning your triggers and alternative solutions may be beneficial to both your physical and mental health. 

• The eighth principle of intuitive eating is respecting your body. Just as a person would not expect to change shoe size, body size is often genetically determined. Respecting and accepting the body that you have will lead to a happier life as it is difficult to reject a diet mentality if you are unrealistic. 

• The ninth principle of intuitive eating is movement. Movement is critical for feeling good in your body and improves mood significantly. Instead of focusing on exercise you believe you “should” do, focus on what makes you feel good. Walking, dancing, swimming, and biking are all easy ways to incorporate movement into your daily routine. 

• The tenth and final principle of intuitive eating is honoring your health. Make food choices that make your body feel good, while also honoring your well-being and culture. Remember that what you eat over time is what makes a difference in your health, not one day, and not one meal. Focus on listening to your body. 

Source: 

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

https://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/blog/intuitive-eating

More About Intuitive Eating

If you would like to learn more about intuitive eating, UC Davis offers a 12-week intuitive eating program in which you learn about each principle of intuitive eating and what it means for you. To register, fill out this interest survey.  If you’re a student, we also have student groups.  Complete this interest survey. 

 December also features World Aids Day (December 1),  Universal Human Rights Month (all of December), National Hand Washing Awareness Week (December 2-8), Grief Awareness Week (December 2-8), and Universal Health Coverage Day (December 12).

Seasonal Foods and Recipes 

So many vegetables are in season including winter squash, brussels sprouts, carrots, chard, and so many more! Check out the Davis Farmer’s Market for an abundant selection of fresh produce. Oh, and cranberry, grapefruits, and kumquats are in season too!

Food Geeks has a great site with seasonal produce and recipes for each crop.  You can change your season at the very bottom; anticipate what’s ripening in the months ahead!

Did you know that kumquats are considered a super source of vitamin C? A 100-gram serving contains 73% of your daily recommended intake! This means that they are wonderful for your immune system and are an excellent fruit to eat through the winter!                                                                  

Seasonal Recipes:

Try these roasted carrots for a delicious and easy side dish! Play around with different spices to make them fit many different types of meals!

Try this warm farro salad with roasted root vegetables, goat cheese, and pistachios! It would be perfect for weekly meal prep. For extra protein, try adding shredded chicken or a can of drained garbanzo beans! 

Farro, high in fiber, protein, and nutrients like magnesium, is an excellent grain choice! Each ¼ cup serving contains 6 grams of protein in comparison with white rice, containing around 1 gram per ¼ cup. Some other ways to enjoy farro are to serve with a stir fry, as a base of a burrito bowl, or in a soup! Try cooking with low-sodium vegetable broth for extra flavor. 

This cranberry orange pound cake is made with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour for extra fiber! A perfect sweet treat for the cold weather. 

Bonus Holiday Recipes! 

Channukah, the Jewish festival of lights, is occurring this year from December 25-January 2! On this holiday, it is traditional to eat fried foods to symbolize the miracle of Channukah, where the oil of the menorah lasted eight days even though there was only enough for one day. Make them yourself with this classic potato latke recipe! 

Turkey is so delicious; it is eaten on both Thanksgiving and Christmas! Try this turkey recipe for a flavorful and protein-packed entrée! 

Gingerbread cookies are a holiday classic! Try this recipe for a warming and adorable holiday staple, and try substituting some of all-purpose flour for whole-whet for extra fiber!