Regretfully, Christmas entails heavy eating, and overeating entails a nagging feeling of guilt. Why spoil the festivities with unnecessary emotions? Take easy measures to eradicate the unwelcome onslaught of self-deprecation.
Accept the idea that guilt doesn’t get you anywhere
Eating habits are covered by media so closely that the most natural process of consuming food becomes laden with the subsequent feeling of guilt. But when we stop to think of it, guilt doesn’t make you change your ways – about the only thing it does is make you unhappy. You wouldn’t want to get stuck in the eating-repenting vicious circle.
It doesn’t follow that now and then you will wish you hadn’t chosen some particular dish or drink. If you really believe you’ve made the wrong choice, and you came to regret it, you may want to avoid the unhealthy dish from now on, and it will be to your benefit. Guilt and regret are different things, and you should distinguish between useful and useless feelings.
Don’t think of food as good or bad
Most of food is neither good nor bad intrinsically, although many mass media sources play up this subject unrestrainedly. Actually, food considered bad may be looked upon as good tomorrow, and vice versa. You can find many variegated opinions about the effects on health of eggs, nuts, margarine, pasta, the list goes on and on. No real need to count the calories and weigh possibilities – enjoy yourself.
Let yourself go on the food you like
If you want to eat healthy, the decision encompasses all your meals over a period of time, not just any given meal or dish. To make your diet balanced, you should mind the average of what you eat, and you can do that without feeling guilty. Use your good judgment, acquire some knowledge on nutrition, and make sure your meals are varied, moderate and dictated by prudency – then you can indulge at a well-chosen moment.
Eating shouldn’t welcome punishment later
Now what is really unhealthy is going overboard with dieting. People aren’t naturally supposed to skip meals, wear themselves off with workouts, deny themselves tasty tidbits. When you exercise too much and starve yourself you only get hungrier and consequently more likely to go wolfing food. Eat so as to make yourself feel better and stronger – not heavier and sleepier.
Enjoy your meal consciously
To make it a real celebration and derive the greatest pleasure possible from your feast, let all your senses participate in it: savor smells, flavors, ingredients, everything about the dish you are eating. Make sure you know when your stomach sends the signal of being sated and then concentrate on socializing and making merry. No need to feel guilty on the night – nor ever!
