It’s that time of year: you see all the beautiful pies, mashed potatoes, and cookies alike. You think about your diet plan that you have set for yourself, and debate not eating any of the wonderful “cheat” food that you have sworn you would not eat. But, such restriction would end up causing a night of binge eating, regret, and a lowered self-image. So, the goal to not feeling this way is to EAT! This may sound contradictory, but allowing yourself to indulge in foods that you truly enjoy is an important part of being human.

The act of not letting you eat foods that are not necessarily “healthy” will result in eating more food than you had anticipated yourself to eat. So, the salad and veggies that you planned to eat during Thanksgiving dinner would result in a bunch of cookies that would derail your healthy eating plan altogether. Also, if you do not let yourself enjoy the foods that you don’t always have on a daily basis, you will soon come to resent the foods that are not known to be healthy, and will end up being sadder about any food you did eat rather than the food that you did not eat. In other words, enjoy that slice of cake without regrets, since it will end up making you more upset in the long run.

With that being said, do not let the holiday season be a time where you let everything go and do not think about your healthy eating plans at all. The act of eating a year’s worth of desserts and junk food will not be good for your body, and will result in weight gain that you do not want during “the most wonderful time of the year”. It is important for your body to be conscious of what you are putting into your system, and although the extra slice of pie will not completely disrupt your eating habits, it will also not be the most beneficial when you are trying to fit in to your new jeans that you got for Christmas.

Overall, my point with this article is not trying to shame people into not indulging during the holidays, but also not letting people overdo it and want to restrict later in the year. The point of the holiday season is to be joyous and happy with people that you care about and love, and having to worry about overeating or restricting is not the way to spend it. So, I hope that everyone reading this has a wonderful holiday season, and that you do not let the overwhelming amount of food change the season for the better or worse.