We've heard it before...the cliché, "I need to get back on track" after coming back from a vacation. But what if we changed the game & viewed vacation eats as regular eats? I’ll start off with a little life update. Two weekends ago, I ventured down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to walk in my Master’s graduation ceremony at The University of Alabama. Right after I finished my dietetic internship & became a dietitian last year, I decided to continue my education. I completed my MS in Human Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in Human Nutrition & a focus in Community Nutrition through Alabama’s distance program. Even though I did my degree online, I knew I just had to make the trip down to AL to walk in the ceremony & celebrate my accomplishment. So my parents, Colin, & I drove the 14 hours down south for a brief, but action packed stay in Tuscaloosa. Then Colin & I drove up to Nashville to spend a couple days there. It was a whirlwind of a trip & I’ve been back for a week now. I originally planned on sharing my favorite local spots that we ate at during the trip, but it got me thinking about vacation & food. What if vacation eats were thought of just the same as our regular eats? There’s often this thought that we need to “get ourselves back on track” after a vacation. Maybe we feel we indulged a little too much while we were away. But I kind of hate this thought & it’s a thought that has often times plagued me, as well. It’s that internal battle of associating our foods as “good” & “bad” and then transposing those labels onto ourselves when we eat those said “good” & “bad” foods. It’s the thought that we have to eat on a more regimented plan during our normal, every day lives & then when we go on vacation we’re allowed to go a little rogue & eat whatever we want & indulge in more foods than we normally would allow. <-- That last sentence right there is diet mentality, folks. How do we get rid of that, how do we take away the post-vacation guilt & the feeling to “get back on track?” My thought is – if we never put ourselves on a track or limit ourselves to a specific diet to begin with, then vacation eats aren’t any different than our regular eats…besides the fact that you’re probably not doing as much home cooking that week – and that’s okay! It’s this thought of incorporating a more mindful approach to food & nutrition, listen to our body’s wants & needs and eating for pleasure & satisfaction all the time. When we don’t restrict the ice cream or the hearty, palatable meals or the cocktails. If we give into cravings when we have them, focus on flexibility & balance when it comes to our plate, and give ourselves grace on a regular basis, then those vacation eats won’t seem like such a huge conflict. We won’t feel the need to “eat super healthy” when we get back because we “fell off the wagon,” or whatever other cliché saying is out there. Sure we’re going to probably eat more palatable, less nutritious foods when we go on vacation, just because we’re eating most meals at a restaurant. But this doesn’t have to come with associated guilt because our bodies are geniuses & can regulate themselves. A week of less nutritious eats is NOT going to ruin you. You don’t have to do anything different when you come back to “make up for” your less nutritious week. Your body is going to do it by itself. Maybe that’s through signaling cravings for some veggies or lean protein or whole grains. Or maybe it’s by giving you energy to prep some lunch meals for the week ahead. It’s going to look & feel differently for everyone, but your body is going to even itself out & be okay in the end. This post isn’t meant to make you think vacation eats have to be boring either. I like to spend my vacations finding local hidden gems with awesome food or indulging in a nicer, upscale restaurant because I don’t do that on a regular basis. But I’m working on incorporating this mentality of not having vacation vs. regular day eats & having guilt when I come back home. I still struggle with this, as I am learning to become more flexible in my eating mentality every single day, or else I wouldn’t have written this post! We can take vacation eats off the pedestal by checking in with ourselves, giving our body what it wants & needs, and eating that cookie when we want the cookie.
15 Comments
5/22/2017 10:04:40 am
I kind of assume that I will eat differently while on vacation and that's ok. I have all of the other days for my normal eating. Congrats on your graduation
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5/22/2017 01:25:06 pm
Love this post. We need to talk more about that balance and steer away from the good vs bad mentality. Thanks for sharing and congrats on graduating!
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5/22/2017 01:28:27 pm
I absolutely love this post!! Along with getting "back on the wagon" after "over-indulging" while on vacation, I see so many people purposely restrict themselves pre-vacation so that they can indulge while they're away. That is not healthy either, because you're just going to end up binging on the first meal you get to when in paradise - not a good thing, and not a good feeling afterward. I used to suffer from this mindset of allowing myself to be "unhealthy" while on vacation and then being super strict again upon return. But that's just silly. Enjoying a scone and a shake for breakfast is fine in moderation! The body will indeed crave veggies or exercise when it's needed, so we all need to stop stressing so much over our vacation and non-vacation diets and just start following a LIVING diet - foods and exercise that make us feel our best, all the time. And sometimes, a big ole piece of cake or a sugary cocktail really does make me feel the best - whether home or away :)
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5/22/2017 02:54:52 pm
Smart thinking! Love being your healthy self no matter where you are!
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5/22/2017 05:49:56 pm
Such a great message Emily! So true that we should listen to our bodies, and enjoy food!
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5/23/2017 04:41:48 am
SO.MUCH.TRUTH. When I go on vacation, I might eat more sweets and desserts than normal, but I also eat until the point that I'm satisfied and then stop. I totally agree with you - there are no "good" or "bad" foods, it's just all foods.
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5/23/2017 09:13:05 am
Congrats on graduating!!! Woop!
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5/24/2017 06:29:01 am
" A week of less nutritious eats in not going to ruin you."~well said! Although, I might enjoy a few more "adult" drinks on vacation than I would at home, I pretty much eat the same as I usually would, because, as you say, I don't restrict certain foods from my "normal" diet. Huge congratulations on getting your Master's degree-that's awesome!!
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5/24/2017 08:21:46 am
I always tell my clients, "You have to give yourself permission to not be perfect." The sigh of relief when they realize that's okay and GOOD to do is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing!
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5/24/2017 04:53:45 pm
Love this post and congrats on graduating!!
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5/27/2017 07:34:37 am
I love this post. I have that same mentality and cycling of vacation-eating and healthy eating, but your post is very insightful!
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Hey everyone! I'm Emily - a Registered Dietitian & food lover! I love sharing simple, tasty recipes & mindful nutrition tips here on my blog. You can browse my site for other services I offer & learn how to work with me :)
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