Our 5 Tips to Navigate Indulgence Over the Holidays

Halloween is here which means we’re at the official beginning of the holidays and the beginning of a whole season of edible temptations. From leftover Halloween candy at home to the bombardment of holiday treats that seem to start popping up everywhere, we’ve developed a game plan that can help you enjoy treats in a healthy way.

My guess is you found yourself here because you are someone who cares about personal well-being and nourishing the body from the inside out. So I want to tell you that just because it’s the season of indulgence doesn’t mean you’ll be sacrificing all the good you’ve done all year. In fact, because of all the good you’ve done, you shouldn’t feel guilt or shame around indulging a little as long as you do it intentionally, and indulge from a place of love.

We like to look at holiday sweets and treat them as “bad” instead of just food—food that has the potential to fuel us and feed our cravings. Make a choice to change your perspective. It’s okay to enjoy a slice of home-baked warm pumpkin pie or chocolate goodness. It’s about balance.

This holiday season, remind yourself of all the good you’ve done, and all the good you’ll continue to do. Step into the present and fully embrace time with friends or family. Once you’ve decided to provide your body with all the love, care, and superfoods it needs you’ll understand how to fully treat yourself this holiday season.

Here are our 5 tips to navigate indulgence during the holidays.

NOURISH YOURSELF

All throughout the day and whenever you can. Before going to a holiday party, fuel your body with whole, nutrient-dense meals. Eat gently and flood your body with organic fruits and veggies. Superfoods and adaptogens are a great way to give your body a boost when you need it.

HYDRATE, CONSTANTLY 

Keeping yourself well-hydrated keeps your body feeling full longer. Our snack cravings often come from dehydration. Enjoying a cool glass of high-quality water will also help you tap into what your body is actually craving. Elevate your water with Sunshine Drops for even more hydration power.

GET PLENTY OF REST

Another body cue that people mistake for hunger is exhaustion. When you aren’t getting an adequate amount of sleep, blood sugar and hormones that affect appetite can be affected in ways that lead you to feel hungrier than usual. People who are sleep deprived also tend to have more intense cravings for sugary foods and simple carbs as the body seeks a quick energy boost. Be sure to get a full night of restful sleep or take a mid-afternoon nap to avoid rampant ravenousness. Create a sleep ritual that keeps you grounded and balanced. I love diffusing essential oils, taking a bath with a detox bath soak and putting my phone on airplane mode in my bathroom (away from my body).

MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS + CREATE RECIPES WITH LOVE 

Volunteer to bring a dessert to a holiday get together and make a recipe that may seem like a sweetness overload but is actually nourishing for the body and full of vitamins and nutrients. I love making healthy dishes disguised as desserts because it not only feels good making it, but it tastes amazing and you feel just as good after. Try Nice Cream, Dark Chocolate Bites or my own Immunity Chocolate—they are all ways to satisfy a sweet tooth but also feed your body with things it loves. Make sugar substitutions when you can and use intentional ingredients like Fall Vibes which is loaded with superfoods and adaptogens combined with the traditional pumpkin spice flavor we all love.

ABOVE ALL, ENJOY IT 

The holidays are a beautiful time of the year, and over before you know it. When you enjoy a little sweet here and there throughout the season, really take the time to enjoy it. Savor each delicious bite. By tuning into the beauty of the experience, you’ll truly feel satisfied and actually pretty good about yourself. Remember, when we deprive ourselves and restrict foods, it triggers a mechanism of survival in our brains. Cravings, overeating and binge-eating happens when we deprive and neglect ourselves from simply enjoying our food, our lives and the moment.

I’m by no means perfect, but I know in my heart that I do my best. Either you can obsess over the one slice of delicious pumpkin pie you ate, or shift your focus to the accomplishments that you’re proud of. You need to change your tune and look at indulgences as rewards for treating your body with love and filling it with superfoods MOST of the time.