If you follow the whole foods diet or are strictly Whole30, having a cheat day is generally frowned upon. However, while you might not want a cheat day every week, there are some other ways to let yourself splurge a little and not go too crazy.
Consider Why You Want a Cheat Day
The first thing you should do before you even start considering whether or not you want to do a cheat day during the Christmas season is to ask yourself why you want one in the first place. The answers will usually tell you whether it is a good idea for your situation or not.
For example, if you want one because you want to eat with your family on Christmas, it may not be necessary. There are a lot of traditional Christmas foods that follow along with the whole foods lifestyle, including the ham or turkey, and many of the vegetable sides.
If the reason you want a cheat day for Christmas is because you would like one day where you can choose whatever treats you want, including those you can’t usually have on the whole food lifestyle, ask yourself if you think it will only be for one day or not.
Good Reasons to Do a Cheat Day
There are some reasons that you might want to try a little cheat day or meal during Christmas, or in general during the holidays. Here are some reasons you may want to consider it:
1. You are not in charge of preparing the meal, so you will have limited food options.
2. You want your kids to take part in an annual traditional involving special treats.
3. It is a good ‘last hurrah’ before you start the new year.
4. You don’t think the cheat day will turn into a cheat week or month or year.
Reasons to Think Twice About It
On the other hand, there are also plenty of reasons to think again before you decide to do it. For example:
1. Cheat days often don’t stop at the end of the day.
2. You could start with your cravings all over again, making it more difficult to get back to whole foods.
3. It creates an unhealthy frame of mind.
4. The guilt may end up causing you to feel worse.
Some Recommended Variations for Christmas
Instead of having an entire cheat day, why not just limit yourself to what you want to splurge on? For example, if you eat your entire Christmas dinner of all whole foods and recipes, then you can have a piece of pie that contains sugar, chocolate, or other ingredients that aren’t really Whole30-friendly.
