This story includes trigger warnings about food and weight. If you or a loved one are struggling with eating disorders, contact the National Centre for Eating Disorder Help - NCFED.

Because the Christmas season revolves so much around food, it can be a minefield of triggers for those who struggle with body image — and that may be especially true this year. Relatives we haven’t seen since lockdown might not realise what nearly two years of anxiety and isolation have done to our bodies. This article reviews advice from Christy Querol, a Chicago-based psychologist, about how to navigate the harmful food and diet talk that can emerge during the holidays.

While you can’t control what your loved ones say, you can control how you manage it. Read Querol’s advice on what to do before, during, and after a holiday gathering in which you anticipate triggering food and diet talk.

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