Embrace the Joy of Christmas: A Holistic Approach to Eating

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The Challenge of the Holiday Season

The diet starts in January. Christmas can be one of the most challenging times regarding our relationship with food and our bodies. This year, consider doing it a bit differently.

Stress management is essential for overall health, well-being, and managing your weight. Chronic stress affects the body in many ways. Managing it can lead to significant improvements in physical, emotional, and mental health.

Understanding Holistic Therapies

Holistic therapies take into account the whole person. This includes the mind, body, and spirit. They support overall health and balance.

What we eat matters. How we eat matters. How we feel about what we eat matters. How we feel when we eat matters. What we believe about food matters. What we believe about ourselves matters. All these factors affect how we process the energy in our food.

The Essence of Metabolism

From a holistic perspective, this is the best definition of metabolism that I have found:

“Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body, plus the sum total of all our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences.” — Marc David

We know that two people can eat exactly the same thing, yet they will metabolize it differently. This is because we are much more complex than a kettle.

“In 1863, a calorie was defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water from 0 to 1 degree Celsius. In 1925, calories became scientifically defined in terms of joules, which are units typically used by physicists to describe the amount of work needed to force one newton through one meter.” www.livescience.com

Our metabolism allows us to utilize the energy that our food provides. Understanding metabolism is key to understanding nutrition. It helps in changing your relationship with food and improving your relationship with your body. This understanding can lead to being the healthiest you can be.

The Missing Nutrients

Fitness experts are satisfied when we have burned enough calories or reached our target heart rate. Dietary gurus are happy when our milk has enough Vitamin D or our juice has enough Vitamin C. Yet, we have collectively overlooked some important nutrients that have been around for some time:

Vitamin L - Love, Vitamin H - Happiness, Vitamin S - Soul.

You won’t find these listed on the side of your cereal box, but don’t let that absence fool you. If something is truly nourishing for the soul, it is literally nourishing for the body. That nourishment fuels metabolism. — Marc David, The Slow Down Diet.

The Impact of Stress on Eating

A stressed eater will be in a place of digestive shutdown. In contrast, a relaxed eater will be in a place of full digestive force. Feelings such as guilt and shame that come from the good food/bad food mentality will always lead us to be in a stress response. If we add that to our normal everyday stress and emotional experiences, we will be in digestive shutdown, dealing with the impact of high cortisol and adrenaline in our bodies.

There is nothing more stressful to the body than feelings of guilt and shame, especially around food. This Christmas, be gentle with yourself. Be a relaxed eater and allow yourself full permission to savor every bite. Embrace emotions of joy and pleasure.

Conclusion: A Holistic Approach to Christmas Eating

This holiday season, remember that your relationship with food is just as important as the food itself. Embrace a holistic approach that nurtures not just your body but also your mind and spirit.

Happy Christmas!

Joanne