Christmas Food Guilt

Christmas Food Guilt: Food Is Not Your Enemy.

Christmas is here – a time to celebrate family, friends and of course, delicious food. Christmas brings an abundance of tasty treats including mince pies, Christmas pudding and endless chocolate. However, for many, the season of indulgence comes with a heavy side of stress and guilt. Diet culture often amplified these feelings with phrases like “burn off those Christmas calories” or “earn your dinner”. Whilst it is important to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle for both physical and mental health, negative feelings – such as guilt – towards food can be extremely damaging.

As a personal trainer and nutritionist, I understand the importance of food for our bodies and the kind of diet we should have to stay healthy. But I also know that food should be celebrated and enjoyed, and not feared. Feeling guilty over Christmas food can be significantly more damaging to your body than to give into the temptations and enjoying the holiday period.

For many people, Christmas becomes a battleground of conflicting emotions: wanting to enjoy festive meals but feeling anxious and “overdoing it”.  The idea of needing to “compensate” for holiday eating, does more harm than good. Food is not our enemy. It is a source of happiness and energy. Sharing meals with friends and family is an essential part of Christmas for most, and it creates memories that last far longer than feelings of guilt. When you restrict yourself and feel bad with every mouthful, you miss out on the enjoyment of the season. This doesn’t mean you should necessarily eat everything in sight for a month straight, but it means that you should enjoy the season and not be concerned by indulging more than usual.

At its core, food is about more than just calories or macros – it’s about experience, culture, and happiness. During the holidays, your primary focus should be on the people around you and the memories you make, not calories.

The Harm Of Food Guilt

Not only does food guilt ruin the enjoyment of eating, but it can lead to very serious mental and physical health concerns. Stressing about what you eat creates a negative cycle of shame and guilt, which can lead to eating disorders. 

Instead of feeling guilty at Christmas, get into the flow of a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthily and well throughout the year, giving your body the essential fats, protein and carbs it needs, as well as plenty of micronutrients and make sure you exercise regularly. If you can maintain this for 9 months, it’ll take the pressure off in December.

What Can You Do For Your Friends?

If you know someone who may struggle over Christmas, organise some group exercises for you and your friends to encourage and support each other to be healthier. People often wait for the New Year, but why not start now? This can be as simple as a weekly walk together. It will have a huge impact on your mental and physical health and is something you can continue with.

Challenge: try walking weekly for a few weeks and see if you can add some intermittent jogging. After a while, your weekly walks can turn into runs! Set yourself goals and challenges to stay encouraged and keep track of your progress.

Apps like Couch to 5k, Strava and Joggo are great to use.

Happy Christmas!