The Intuitive Eater's Holiday Bill of Rights

Intuitive Eater's Holiday Bill of Rights 

created by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN - co-author, Intuitive Eating

Consider your Intuitive Eating Bill of Rights, as we enter the holiday season, to help you foster inner peace with food, mind and body.

1. You have the right to savor your meal, without cajoling or judgment, and without discussion of calories eaten or the amount of exercise needed to burn off said calories.

2. You have the right to enjoy second servings without apology.

3. You have the right to honor your fullness, even if that means saying "no thank you" to dessert or a second helping of food.

4. It is not your responsibility to make someone happy by eating more than you’d like, even if it took hours to prepare a specialty holiday dish.

5. You have the right to say, "No thank you," without explanation, when offered more food.

   You have the right to stick to your original answer of "no," even if you are asked multiple times. Just calmly and politely repeat "No, thank you, really."

6. You have the right to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast.

   Remember, no one, except for you, knows how you feel, both emotionally and physically. Only you can be the expert of your body, which requires inner attunement, rather than the external, well-meaning, suggestions from family.

   Potential Traps for Holidays (part 1)

    Holiday time can seem like a “catch 22,” if you’re not prepared.  My clients often tell me that they’re filled with anticipation for celebrations and the excitement of the season, and as soon as the first holiday moment begins, they find themselves filled with anxiety and stress.  How can a time that seems so joyous, also be brimming with dread?  I advise clients to spend some time preparing for the feelings that are apt to emerge and rehearse the coping mechanisms they can use to deal with these feelings.  When they do this, they find that their anxiety diminishes and their feelings of joy increase.

      Here’s a list of some of the difficult issues that you might face.  Do any of these apply to you?  Next, imagine how you might handle them and watch how much better prepared you'll be. (The next entry will address strategies for dealing with holiday traps.)

1. Fear of being judged for your eating and/or your body.

2. The stress of buying and wrapping holiday gifts.

3. Anxiety about family dysfunction.

4. Potential feelings of loneliness.

5. Worry about overeating or eating emotionally.

6. Anxiety about what to wear and how you will look.

7. Concerns about fitting holiday events into your busy work schedule.

8. Boredom and discomfort at parties. 

Intuitive Eater’s Holiday Bill of Rights-Part 2

After creating the Intuitive Eater’s Holiday Bill of Rights, I thought about the collective wisdom of Intuitive Eating Professionals on LinkedIn, (which consists of over 800 allied health professionals).  And so I posed the following question to the group:

What additional Intuitive Eater “right” would you add to help foster inner peace during the holiday season?   

•  “You have the right to feel less than “cheerful” no matter what others are saying about the ‘true spirit’ of the holiday season. You have the right to honor your true feelings and respond to them with compassion.” – Rebecca Galla

• “Not right now thanks but maybe later” works really well to appease the pushy host/hostess. If there isn’t a “later” then remind yourself that there is tomorrow and you won’t perish today.” -Tracy Stoker

• “You have a right to notice how your body responds to different foods and to eat foods that look good, taste good and make you FEEL GOOD.” – Latoya J. Williams

• “You have the right to share your inner peace with food, without judgement! Others may just even be jealous!”- Kathryn Fink

• “You have the right to enjoy your food immensely even if a loved one with food challenges is present.”- Becky Henry

• “You have the right not to participate in diet/weight talk.”- Judith Matz

• “I suggest my clients say “maybe later” with a smile…helps to neutralize the situation.”- Janice Baker MBA RD CDE CNSC

• “You have the right to eat others’ forbidden foods without feeling guilty.” – Jaime Fenton

• “You have the right to say a graceful “Thank you” when someone compliments you without denying their comment or putting yourself down.”-Sumner Brooks, MPH, RD, CSSD

• And Elyse Resch,co-author of Intuitive Eating offers this gem: “You have the right to feel the painful feelings that may come up at holiday time and to ask for support from someone safe.”

  
  Copyright © 2010 by www.IntuitiveEating.org (reproduced with permission)

DISCLAIMER: The information is intended to inform readers and is not intended to replace specific advice from a health care professional. 
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