A Dietician Explains Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Overeating During the Holidays

The average Thanksgiving feast, including all-day snack nibbling and festive libations, reaches something like 4,500 calories. That’s around double the recommended intake for one day. Plus those calories are far more likely to come from pecan pie and mac n’ cheese than salad. How should you feel about all this holiday overeating? 

Many of us tell our inner dietician to hush up and happily pile on second and third helpings of grandma’s famous candied yams. Others indulge but feel guilty about ignoring sensible dietary advice. But maybe we don’t need to either ignore or feel bad about what you should be eating. 

According to one registered dietician, the biggest problem with giant festive meals isn’t overeating at all. It’s the idea that we should feel bad about overindulging. 

In a fascinating recent article for The Conversation, Miami University dietician Bryn Beeder argues that while overeating on holidays like Thanksgiving will do your health no long-term harm, but feeling guilty about what you should eat might. So please get over any guilt and enjoy your heaping plate in peace, she argues. 

Occasional holiday overeating won’t harm you… 

Breeder kicks off the piece with a deep dive into what too much turkey and mashed potatoes actually does to your body. It’s not the most appetizing part of the article, so I’ll leave the curious to click over for the details. But the bottom line won’t surprise anyone who has ever attended a holiday gathering. You’ll likely suffer some indigestion and feel bloated and sleepy afterwards. 

Despite these familiar short-term annoyances, “Rest assured, your digestive system will carry on no matter how big the meal,” Breeder reassures those reaching for the Tums.  

Not only will too much turkey not harm you short term, it’s very unlikely to cause any longer-term issues either. “One day of indulgence alone will not cause permanent weight gain or lasting changes to your physical health,” Breeder soothes readers. 

… but feeling guilty about overeating might 

You have it straight from an expert: a couple of days of holiday season overeating won’t have any lingering negative health effects. But that’s only half of Breeder’s message. While occasional overeating will do you no long-term harm, obsessively watching that you eat might and beating yourself up for supposed lapses might. 

“Repeated patterns of food guilt can, over time, lead to an unhealthy relationship to food,” Breeder warns, and this time of year is ground zero for this style of unhealthy food guilt.  

“Food does not have moral value, and yet it is easy to become caught in the habit of labeling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ This mindset often shows up during the holidays. Think about how often you hear yourself or others say, ‘I was good all morning so I can eat more tonight’ or ‘I’m going to be bad and have the pie, too.’ How you speak about food directly shapes how you feel about eating it and about yourself,” Breeder continues. 

There is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods 

It’s common to think about food using a moral framework — pie is “bad” and salad is “good,” for instance. But experts insist this kind of thinking both ignores nuance and often leads to shame. Neither helps people develop a healthy relationship with food that sustains their mental and physical health. Which, after all, is the ultimate goal of eating. 

Pie might not have as many essential nutrients as kale, but baking one with your family can bring you together. And a mountain of science shows social bonds are as important for our health and happiness as our diet.

Thinking of certain foods as ‘bad’ also “traps us in our heads and cuts us off from our body’s hunger and fullness cues,” explains healthy eating coach Anna Gordon. “Have you ever eaten more sweets than you really wanted because you were about to give up sugar forever? Or forced yourself to eat a small salad when you really were hungry for more, only to find yourself bingeing later on?” she asks. I’m betting that for many of us, the answer is yes. 

As University of Rochester Medical Center dietitian Jill Chodak put it: “Balancing our wants as human beings with what our body metabolically needs differs from person to person. Each of us has different wants and needs that contribute to balance in our mental and physical health.” 

Worry less, savor more 

The only “good” food is the one that helps you meet your own individual, holistic health goals, including the need for joy and togetherness. And what you may need today is another helping of green bean casserole or second glass of wine. That’s not just acceptable. It’s downright healthy. 

So, as Breeder concludes, “this holiday season, focus less on the calorie count and more on the company, the laughter, and the scents and flavors that make your traditions special. Eat the foods that bring you comfort and connection; you’re nourishing more than just your body.” 

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