Food Freedom & New Year's Resolutions

This New Year, resolve to give yourself the freedom to enjoy all food without guilt or stress.

Written by Emily Edling & Cristina Luibil MS, RD, LDN. Edited by Sabrina Stadelman.

Happy New Year!

It's the first Monday in January, and I'm sure you are already inundated with talk about New Year's resolutions, so we'll try to make this quick and painless.

We are accustomed to associating the start of the New Year with almost unrealistic expectations of reaching lofty goals and new heights in our aspirations. There’s a broad range of great goals we set for ourselves: Read more books this year, play with your dog more often, be less tied to work, volunteer at your favorite charity more often... These are great intentions! 

When we think about New Year’s resolutions, it is often tied to improving our health, and under this heading lurks the idea of changing our bodies or reducing our weight. Making healthful choices to honor your body is great, but for my well-being and journey toward body respect, I (Emily) want to be careful how much emphasis I put on this fresh start. It is a special time of year to reflect on the prior year and set some intentions for the New Year. However, I want to make sure I’m in tune with an intention that will be healthy for body, soul, and mind, and help me feel more like me.  

There is an unfortunate trend I think of as “January Compensation” that we casually hear in our culture: the idea that, with this fresh start in January, we need to adjust our eating or exercise to compensate for the wonderful holiday food we recently enjoyed. The fresh start of January piles on the pressure, too! It does not have to be this stressful. You do not have to compensate for eating! 

In the Intuitive Eating mindset, we enjoy unconditional permission to eat all foods, without judgment and without the need to make up for it later in any way. 

Instead of making resolutions to change our eating or to change our bodies, what if we made a personal New Year’s resolution to appreciate our bodies more, to treat our bodies with kindness, and to dive a little deeper into accepting our wonderful bodies? That would be radical!

We are curious to hear from you – do you like to set resolutions?

What intentions for this year will help you feel more like yourself?

What helps you appreciate the body you’re in today?

If you would like support in ditching the diet mentality and starting (or continuing) an Intuitive Eating journey surrounded by a supportive community, we can help! Our Intuitive Eating Membership, Nourish Your Life, is currently enrolling. Become a part of our community.

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this blog is for general educational and informational purposes only. It may not be tailored to your specific health needs as it is written here. This content is not intended to replace personalized medical advice, nutrition counseling, or medical nutrition therapy. Any recipes or suggestions provided are meant to inspire and should be used at your discretion. Always consult with your own registered dietitian, physician, or healthcare provider before making changes to your nutrition, lifestyle, or treatment plan. If you choose, Aterra Nutrition would be happy to help you in your own, individual nutrition and intuitive eating journey.