What Food Freedom Actually Looks Like on Holiday (And Why It Matters for Emotional Eating Recovery)

When people search for “how to stop emotional eating,” “binge eating recovery,” or “how to feel in control around food on holiday,” they often assume the solution is more discipline, more restriction, or more rules.

But real food freedom — the kind that lasts — looks completely different.

I’ve just returned from a week away in the mountains of Pokhara, Nepal.
No kitchen.
No meal prep.
Three meals out every day.
And snacks… let’s just say Pokhara isn’t known for the healthiest options.

Years ago? This would have been my worst nightmare.

The Old Pattern: Fear, Restriction, and “Holiday Panic”

Before healing my relationship with food, a last-minute holiday would have triggered:

• Panic because I hadn’t “dieted enough” beforehand

• Worry that eating out would lead to losing control

• Fear of weight gain

• The urge to restrict as soon as I got home

• Anxiety about stepping on the scale to see the “damage”

Like many people stuck in emotional eating cycles, I lived with the constant pressure to “eat perfectly” or compensate afterwards.
That isn’t discipline — it’s fear disguised as control.

This Time: Zero Panic, Zero Drama

This trip was completely different.
I ate what was available.
I enjoyed the food.
My flight was delayed and all that was on offer were carby snacks — no stress, no spiralling.
I ate, moved on, and continued my day.

Coming home didn’t mean going back to restriction.
I simply returned to my usual meals because I like them and how they make me feel.
A bit of travel bloat? Normal.
A few days of craving routine? Also normal.

My body settles when I settle.
Your body will too.

What This Has to Do With Emotional Eating Recovery

Healing emotional eating isn’t about perfect choices.
It’s about rebuilding trust:

• Trust that you don’t need to “make up” for anything

• Trust that breaks in routine won’t break your progress

• Trust that you can enjoy food without guilt

• Trust that you can travel, eat out, and still feel in control

This is exactly what I help clients build inside Nourish to Thrive™ — an evidence-based approach to ending emotional eating by understanding the root causes (your personality patterns, neural wiring, emotional triggers, and nutrition foundations).

If you want this level of ease around food…

You can start today with the Free Welcome Session.
It covers:

• Why emotional eating happens (it’s not lack of willpower)

• How to rebuild trust with food

• The 4 N’s framework that helps you move from surviving to thriving

• A tool you can start using immediately to feel more in control

🎥 Sign up for the Free Welcome Session