Rethink Nutrition

Avoiding Food Guilt on Thanksgiving

The holiday season seems to bring up a lot of guilt around food for people. They feel bad for eating "unhealthy" foods and then try to "make up for it" by skipping other meals or only eating salads for a week or something along those lines.

If your game plan for Thanksgiving involves skipping all meals until the actual Thanksgiving meal is served - STOP!

The only thing restricting food intake will do is set you up to overeat. One of your body's responses to food restriction is to make food even more appealing. So, when you do eat, it will likely feel so out of control that you'll barely enjoy the food anyway!

Just because you're going to a party in the evening doesn't mean your body stops requiring fuel to function throughout the rest of the day. By skipping meals in an attempt to "save up" calories for later, you're depriving your body of the valuable energy it needs to keep you going. Then, you'll show up to the family dinner ravenously hungry, eat far more than you otherwise would have, and will probably not feel all that great afterward.

What this desire to restrict or "save up" calories stems from is the idea that the foods typically served at Thanksgiving are "bad" or unhealthy.

In reality, there is no moral value assigned to food. You aren't "good" if you skip breakfast or eat salad, just as you aren't "bad" if you eat mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Food is just food. It is absolutely okay to eat a food simply because you enjoy it.

Thanksgiving is for giving thanks and spending time with loved ones, not guilt and shame over what we ate or didn't eat. So, feed yourself regularly leading up to your Thanksgiving meal, arrive comfortably hungry, and enjoy the foods you love without judgement.

What Others Are Saying

Josie Werts
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Josie Werts
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"My experience working with Sydney at Rethink Nutrition was wonderful! She helped me see that consistency and balance are an important part in being healthy, and she taught me how to work towards food freedom. It was easy to be honest about challenges, and I was always met with patience and new solutions to try. There were so many days I wanted to give up on recovery, but her encouragement and advice helped me keep going. If you're struggling but hesitant to see a dietitian, I would suggest Rethink because you deserve the care and support to get better. Sydney is truly amazing at what she does. She's my hero!"

Drew Davis
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Drew Davis
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"I rarely leave reviews for anything online, but I have to say that Anna Binder and the team at Rethink Nutrition genuinely changed my life. After suffering from IBS and acid reflux for years, it only took a few months with Anna's treatment for me to be almost completely symptom free. I have so much more knowledge and control over my health now than I ever thought possible - not to mention that I can eat without hardly any restrictions or concerns anymore. Could not recommend enough!"

Dunia Harmison
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Dunia Harmison
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"In just over a week of working with Anna, I feel great! I no longer feel the need to lay down during the day, my face is clearing up, and I'm no longer feeling bloated by foods that I eat. If I'm feeling this good already, I'm excited to see how much better it gets in the coming weeks."

* Results can very. Testimonials are the result of clients committed to changing their health.
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