Balanced Bartender

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Balanced Bartender Pep Talk Dec 2021

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Hey Pals, it's The Healthtender, Amie Ward, with your December Balanced Bartender Pep Talk!

Happy December, my friends, and welcome to your final Balanced Bartender Pep Talk of 2021! For people in the industry, this month is action-packed with ugly sweater bar crawls, private holiday parties, and that last-minute drive to wrap up the notorious O-N-D season. Stressors are at an all-time high whether it's related to finances, family, travel, or thinking about the year's end. But for this month's pep talk, we are going to discuss a stressor that has managed to get swept under the rug for too long—food shaming.

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Whether it be family members commenting on appearances (e.g., "Have you been eating enough?" or "You look great! Have you lost weight?"), innocuous remarks from the food police (e.g., "I'm gonna be naughty and have another dessert!" or "Thank goodness for cheat days!"), or the 100th article on avoiding weight gain during the holidays, food shaming is rampant during this season. We live in a society that absurdly assigns morality to food and sees fat bodies as "bad" and thin bodies as "good." We already have complex relationships with food, and this narrative just exacerbates things. When a person makes food shaming comments, it's not always malicious. Sometimes it's a projection of their food and body insecurities. Other times people think they are being genuinely helpful by showing concern for someone's health. Regardless of the intent, the impact of those comments can be triggering, make people feel ashamed, and harm our mental health. Food is not good or evil—it is energy for the body. We should be able to enjoy the things our body loves in moderation and without deprivation. Food should be something that brings people together, not tear them apart.

Moving forward, be more thoughtful about conversations surrounding food and bodies. Praise the cook for the delicious meal, express gratitude for a meal bringing people together, and avoid commenting on appearances, what people eat, or what you’re not eating. If you hear any food shaming remarks, take a deep breath and remain calm. If you feel comfortable establishing boundaries, vocalize that you’d love to keep those topics off the dinner table. Show a little sass if it suits you, change the subject entirely, and have a contingency plan for a swift getaway. If you’re a bystander, don’t let food shaming slide. Speak up and set the tone that those conversations are unproductive and unwelcome. The holidays are filled with dope food, and nobody should feel bad about themselves or their choices. Thank you all so much for tuning in to this final pep talk of 2021! For our last movement challenge, Jägermeister and The Healthtender are going out with a bang of burpees! Complete 10 Burpees of any variety or modification, take a time-lapse video or sweaty selfie, tag me @thehealthtender, and use the hashtag #jmbehindtheshot for a chance to get rad wellness giveaways at the end of the month. Head on over to my Instagram for more details. Stay balanced, pals, and have the happiest of holidays!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Amie's Snacks & Sips

Harvest Fare

Recipe:

12 parts Jägermeister Cold Brew
24 parts Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Or your choice unsweetened dairy-free milk)
1-14 parts can Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 parts Date Syrup or Maple Syrup
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
⅛ tsp Ground Cardamom
Pinch Turmeric

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and use a stick blender or whisk to incorporate and make fluffy. Transfer to a punch bowl and have coconut whipped cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg on hand for garnish. Makes 13-4oz serving.

Amie's Note:

I love eggnog so hard, but dairy and I don't get along. This punch recipe fills my eggnog void and mimics the thick custardy treat we deserve during the holidays!

Get to Know The Healthtender

Amie Ward

Amie Ward is a Veteran Bartender,

Exercise physiologist and has been outspoken on her fellow service industry members' health and wellness. You can find Amie appreciating the finer things in life when she is not pulling trucks and training for Strongwoman competitions, like Jägermeister.

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