It is almost 2020 and with it, the rise in diet culture and weight loss advertisements. Practicing intuitive eating may seem not so intuitive when going through the holiday season. When we are surrounding by diet messaging and comments on weight, health, fitness, and food, it is hard to remain mindful and confident in what you’re currently doing.

Social media and other advertisement platforms bombard our world beginning December all the way through the end of January. Are we just supposed to hibernate and avoid our phones and computers for that entire time? Unlikely. The messaging is there and it is up to us if we will internalize it and let it steer us off the path of intuitive eating or not.

Do not be fooled by my direct commentary that this is all supposed to be easy, its not. As a registered dietitian who preaches intuitive eating for a living, I too can get swept up in the holiday- new year jargon and have to catch myself when I begin eating for external reasons rather than internal cues. What do I do to protect myself?

Read chapters from Intuitive Eating
Follow other intuitive eating dietitians and body positive influencers to counter the negativity on my social media with positivity
Use the hunger and fullness scale as often as I can- remind myself to be mindful

A great colleague of mine recently wrote a blog post on this very topic. Click here to read her take on intuitive eating over the holidays.