The arrival of my darling Sophia occurred over the Easter weekend. Indeed, she was born on Good Friday! An influx of overwhelming change coincided with an inundation of chocolate. The rest is history!
Over the forthcoming weeks, moderation was challenged, as chocolate and breastfeeding too easily became synonymous daily events. Each time I’d sink into a chair to breastfeed my darling newborn baby, some chocolate would magically appear.
There are moments in our lives where it’s just too convenient to let go of healthy habits, or too inconvenient to upkeep healthy eating patterns. Emotions are often at the core of disrupted eating behavior.
Below are a few reminders I always fall back on when holidays, emotions, stress and a busy lifestyle have the ability to disrupt my nutritious lifestyle.
1. Identify that you are emotionally eating. Awareness is absolutely paramount.
2. Introduce walking or jogging. Movement can help you to become more in-tune with your body, how well it is functioning and whether the food you are consuming is serving you well.
3. Embrace your stress and tease out the reasons for your feelings. Ask yourself or talk to a trusted loved-one, “what is making me feel so stressed, or worried, or anxious?” Really tease out the reasons for your feelings, acknowledge them and let them go. And repeat “this too shall pass.”
4. Eat mindfully. This is increasingly challenging with a newborn, who often wants to be fed or hugged just as I’m sitting down to eat. When we are extremely busy, we need to remind ourselves even more to slow down and eat consciously, as opposed to rapidly inhaling our food between tasks.
5. Take a multivitamin and probiotic. When healthy eating gets off track, our nutrient intake can suffer. Consuming a good quality multivitamin and probiotic can help stabilise your energy, digestion and mood as you rebalance your diet.
When you stumble through a dietary slump, remember you can always get back on track. Be gentle and kind with yourself. And avoid taking an all or nothing approach.
