Whether or not you’re on the pumpkin spice train, this time of year lends itself to delicious, warm, and cozy foods.  I’m a big fan of soups, chilis, roasted veggies and hot drinks. I could easily eat nothing but pumpkin and pecan pie and be happy for the month of October. 

However…while some of what we might crave during the fall and winter months is warming, satisfying, and nourishing, we’re also bombarded with all sorts of delicious foods that aren’t quite so helpful to our bodies. I’m looking at you, Christmas cookies.

This month I want to share a few ways you can start navigating cravings you might have for the not-so-healthy foods this holiday season. It’s not about deprivation or elimination. It’s about recognizing what your body is trying to tell you. And if the answer to that is to eat the pumpkin pie, go right ahead and enjoy every bite!

What you’ll read below is just a snippet from my 12-week program, The Exhausted Mom Solution. Registration for the next session is currently open, but only until October 14th, so if you’re curious, I invite you to join us!

It’s helpful to learn more about our cravings because a lot of the time the foods that we crave aren’t contributing to very good energy. So often, cravings are viewed as negative. I’d like to encourage you to start being grateful for them. Cravings are important messages that your body is sending you to help you maintain balance. So when you have cravings, I encourage you to ask yourself: “What does my body really want? What might it be trying to tell me right now?” Be curious!

Time of Year or Seasons

Have you ever noticed that the time of year impacts the foods you might crave? We can have cravings associated with seasonal holidays, like turkey at Thanksgiving, or cookies at Christmas. Our bodies can also naturally crave foods depending on the seasons. In the spring we might crave lighter foods like leafy greens or citrus. When it’s hot in the summertime we can crave cooling foods like raw foods and ice cream. In the fall, as it gets cooler, we tend to crave grounding foods like squash, onions, and nuts. In the wintertime, we might crave warming foods like meat, oil, and fat. There isn’t necessarily a “good” or “bad” with these kinds of cravings. Sometimes it’s helpful to notice them and move on while other times we might notice them and enjoy the food we’re craving. With any craving, it’s helpful to have an awareness around it. Maybe you alter your behavior because of it and maybe you don’t. Either way, tuning into your body is always helpful.

These causes of cravings are just three of the seven that we cover together in The Exhausted Mom Solution. If you’re curious about how to improve your health with the Lord in a stress-free and self-paced program, click below for all the info. Registration is only open for this session until October 14th so pray about it and join us if you feel so called! Click here to learn more.