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Tips for #dietfreeholidays

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It’s that time of year again!  The holidays can bring joy and excitement and wonderful holiday food traditions! Unfortunately, often the holidays are also greatly influenced by diet culture. We are back again this year with 12 Tips for #dietfreeholidays. We invite you to follow along and to post on social media using the hashtag #dietfreeholidays to help shift the culture and keep diets out of the holidays this year. 

The Grinch

I equate holiday diet culture to the Grinch from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. You may know the story: the Grinch is an unhappy being that systematically steals Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. He dresses up like Santa Claus and jumps down chimneys, stealing presents, decorations, and even Christmas trees.

How Diet Culture Steals the Holidays

When I think about how diet culture has seeped into the holiday season, it feels just like the Grinch. Diet Culture is the Grinch that sneaks into a family gathering and steals the holiday joy and excitement. Diet culture is the Grinch that keeps us from truly connecting with family and friends because we’re focusing on food or weight. Diet culture, the belief that eating a certain way is morally superior to other ways of eating and the idea that certain body types are better than others, has found its way into all aspects of our culture. The holidays are no exception.  

The Grinch is: 

  • Holiday recipe ingredient swaps to make foods “healthier”
  • Comments about holiday season weight changes
  • Saying you’ve been “bad” when you eat a traditional holiday food
  • Comments about what others are eating/not eating at a holiday gathering
  • Worry about more desserts being around this time of year

#dietfreeholidays

Over the next 4 weeks, we will be posting about how to NOT let diet culture steal the holidays. Join us on our social media: Facebook and Instagram, where over the coming weeks, we will post 12 tips to keep your holidays diet-free. Follow along with the hashtag #dietfreeholidays.  We hope you will also use the hashtag in your posts to help us make the holidays diet-free. 

We hope your holiday season isn’t stolen by diet culture. Looking for support?  Have you checked out our latest posts? 

Holiday Gift Guide 2021

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The holidays are upon us! There seems to be a little more excitement in the air compared to a year ago. Although things may not be “back to normal” for many, we hope there will be more family and friends gatherings this holiday season. 

Looking for gifts? 

We always think food-related gifts are a great way to go! Food is a big part of a family’s culture and tradition.  When you give food, your new favorite kitchen tool, or a food-related book that you are currently enjoying, you share a bit about yourself and your family.  If you’re looking for ideas, last year, we shared 7 Favorite Food-Related Gifts, containing gifts we love to use and give in both of our homes. 

Gifts to Fill Hearts and Bellies

We also have more extensive gift guides you can check out: 

  • 14 Great Kitchen Essentials that Make Great Gifts – The Microplane and Oxo Y vegetable peeler are 2 of my favorites on this list. 
  • Books for Children and People Who Care for Them – If you have a younger child on your gift list, Yoga Bear by Sara Jane Hinder continues to be a favorite in our house. Kids can pick it up and do a few animal yoga poses on their own.  Or, they can convince you to participate for extra laughs. 
  • Nutrition and Amazing Body Books for Adults – Eating By the Light of the Moon is an “oldie but goodie”. This book of short stories filled with metaphors is the perfect gift for someone seeking to understand more about their relationship with food. 
  • Our Favorite Cookbooks – On this list, my favorite is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat.  It’s both a practical cookbook and a great way for younger cooks to learn a bit about the science of cooking. I love the illustrations! 

 

New 2021 Gift Ideas

To add to our gift guides, we want to share a few food-related gifts we’re excited about this year! 

Anna’s Gift Ideas: 

  • Milk Frother – During the pandemic, I’ve definitely enjoyed the little things or, maybe the little things have felt like big things! We were given a Nespresso milk frother a couple of years ago and now I won’t make my morning coffee without it. This was a fantastic gift. Hot milk keeps my coffee warmer, longer and the froth brings a little joy to my morning.  
  • Penzey’s Spices – I love supporting this social justice-oriented company. If you have a store nearby, Penzey’s has all sorts of great cooking and baking gifts at all prices points. Or, if you’re like us, we order online and love to give gift cards. (they often have sales on gift cards!) Some of my favorites are the Single Proof Vanilla, Green Goddess blend, cinnamon, and taco seasoning. 
  • How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence by Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson This new book is coming out in early 2022 and a preorder would make the perfect gift! Psst – we’ll be dropping a podcast episode soon with Sumner Brooks if you want to learn more!

Elizabeth’s Gift Ideas: 

  • Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen by Michelle Icard – Buy this book for yourself! It’s filled with great advice about parenting teens. Are you kids over 14? No worries. All the guidance is still relevant. We loved talking to Michelle Icard on our podcast this year and her story about her favorite food made us love her even more!  Click here to listen or go to your favorite podcast app. 
  • Why We Cook: Women on Food, Identity, and Connection by Lindsay Gardner With essays, interviews, recipes, and more from 112 women in food – Do you love to cook or have a friend or family member who loves to cook? They’ll be delighted to receive this book! Or buy it for yourself as I did. 
  • Pfeffernusse  – A German Christmas Cookie Pfeffernusse is a round spicy gingerbread with black pepper and nuts, rolled in meringue and powdered sugar. Available from Heidelberg Bakery until Dec. 18, 2021. They are available for shipping. A neighbor brought us a bag of Pfeffernusse from Heidelberg Bakery last year during the holidays. I LOVED these cookies! I’d never heard of the bakery and I’d never had Pfeffernusse. I’m looking forward to these crispy, flavorful cookies again this year.
  • Any chocolate peppermint combo, especially Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark!