Your Holiday Bill of Rights
Your Holiday Bill of Rights
Thanksgiving is a couple of days away, and every year, I think about The Holiday Bill of Rights, which Evelyne Tribole created, the author of Intuitive Eating.
It reminds me of the gift that the practice of Intuitive Eating has given all the women I have supported and me—the freedom to eat. Most importantly, it will help you get into a better head space about your relationship with food and body as we approach one of the biggest eating days of the year.
Below are her words, and I hope it brings you a step closer to Body Peace & Food Freedom.
It's hard to enjoy the holidays when you are preoccupied with eating or worried about what to say to relatives who have an annual tradition of telling you what and how to eat.
"What if peace on earth could begin at the dinner table? Imagine experiencing an inner peace, free from incessant worry about what to eat.
Consider your Intuitive Eating Bill of Rights as we enter the holiday season to help you foster inner peace with food, mind, and body.
You have the right to savor your meal, without cajoling or judgment, and without discussion of calories eaten or the amount of exercise needed to burn off said calories.
You have the right to enjoy second servings without apology.
You have the right to honor your fullness, even if that means saying "no thank you" to dessert or a second helping of food.
It is not your responsibility to make someone happy by overeating, even if it took hours to prepare a specialty holiday dish.
You have the right to say, "No thank you," without explanation when offered more food.
You have the right to stick to your original answer of "no", even if you are asked multiple times. Just calmly and politely repeat, "No, thank you, really."
You have the right to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast.
Copyright © 2010 by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD Published at www.IntuitiveEating.org
Additional Thoughts
No one except you knows how you feel emotionally and physically.
You are the expert on your body, and that requires inner attunement (learning to connect your mind, body, heart, and food).
Don't let yourself be put on a food pedestal, it keeps you stuck!
Honor your health, taste buds, and humanness
Being known for being "good" or with strong "willpower" creates pressure, often leading to sneak eating, getting caught, and cheating; it’s time to remove the closet eating!
Learn how to create autonomy and set boundaries with your food and body through The Thanksgiving Bill of Rights as we get ready for one of the biggest eating days of the year.
Let this season be the start of learning how to UNDiet your life.
