Coping With the Holidays

Eating a whole food plant based diet during this time of year just got that much harder.

The holidays are a hard time of year to stick to a plant based diet, or any diet for that matter. The temptation to make exceptions is so easy, especially when everyone else at the table is eating all the things you’re trying not to. My 10% rule: eating a plant based 90% of the time and making exceptions for the foods I can’t give up 10% of the time, definitely turned into more of a 30% to 70% ratio.

While I was aware the foods I was consuming were not even close to a whole food plant based diet, I couldn’t help myself but sample a bit of each type food I wouldn’t typically eat. Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of veggies on my plate come dinner time, but I also splurged a bit and went for the foods I typically don’t eat like meat, cheese, and things with other types of dairy. These foods did not disappoint. They tasted just as good as I remembered!

At first I didn’t notice a change in the way I felt or looked, but after a few days of splurging I started to crave processed foods. I no longer went straight for the banana on the counter. Instead I thought about the huge box of cookies and chocolates sitting next to the bananas and went back and forth on which I should eat. I eventually chose the banana, but I was surprised how my way of thinking about food had been altered based on what I had been eating over the holidays.

I thought it was really interesting how quick this change in thinking took. Over a few weekends of eating family meals, it was harder to get back to the whole food plant based diet. But it actually turned into something I craved. I wanted to see the diversity of veggies, grains, and fruit on my plate. I wanted to nourish my body with unprocessed foods and not feel heavy or gross when I worked out.

It made me appreciate the change I made in my diet back in June. It almost reinforced why I made the change in the first place. I don’t feel tired after meals, my stomach doesn’t hurt, and I am way more motivated to workout and keep my body healthy and strong. It gave me the motivation I needed to start 2021 off on the right foot: being motivated to workout and to eat healthy meals.