Intuitive eating on a cruise

This May, my sweet dad took us (me + Josh + sibs) on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was so lovely and relaxing and while food was obviously a part of it, it wasn’t something I felt preoccupied by or stressed out about. If I had gone on this same trip about 5 years ago, food and calories would have likely consumed my every waking thought and distracted me from enjoying time with my family. I am always so thankful to look back and see, by the grace of God, how far I have come on my intuitive eating journey!

I actually found intuitive eating easier on the cruise because there were so many options, I could basically have anything I was craving at any time. Trust me- I know what a huge privilege that is and I know that is not the case for most people! I just tried to soak it up and enjoy it while I could. Also- praise hands for not having to do dishes!

If you are going on a cruise, a vacation, or even just to a local buffet and feeling crazy overwhelmed, then maybe these 3 practical tips will help you:

-Ask yourself: What do I truly want to eat right now? Don’t let food rules get in the way. Just answer honestly and then, if it’s available, get that food and savor it.

-Remember that you can have your favorite foods at ANY time, not just on vacation. Sometimes I would get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options and start thinking that I had to try every single food at that moment. Then I remembered- hey wait, I can go get a burger at home if I want to. The food will always be there!

-Focus on why you are there. Food is fun, and I’m all about it, but it’s not the purpose of vacation (at least not for me). I wanted to focus on unplugging, spending time with my loved ones, and enjoying new experiences. Like I said, food is awesome and can definitely enhance an experience, but focusing on food alone is not fulfilling for me.

[Side note- the above photo makes me laugh because that was my very first interaction with the sea lion and I was so sure that she was about to attack at any moment. Ha! Her name was Roxie and she was actually super fun and playful.]

I hope these little tips were helpful for you! Honestly, they are things I try to keep in mind every single day, but I think they are especially important in situations where there is so much food that it can be overwhelming. The bottom line for me is always to zoom out to the bigger picture of why I am there and how I want to feel. When I think back on our vacation, the food was ultimately a pretty insignificant part of it. It’s so liberating to just drop the stress around food, live in the moment, and enjoy the people around you.

Have a lovely week, friends!