How to Happily Get Through the Holidays When You Have Dietary Restrictions

You have a dietary restriction, and it's OK to admit that it gets tough sometimes. It's hard enough on a regular day to explain to waiters, coworkers, or your family what gluten is or that even a pat of butter is off limits — and now you have to deal with the holidays! All the Christmas parties, work happy hours, and festive food isn't exactly making you feel merry because you can't eat all the delicious food that everyone else is enjoying. Bah humbug.

Whether you have a gluten allergy, you can't eat dairy without your stomach waging war, you eat Paleo to improve your athletic performance, you're avoiding sugar to combat acne, or you're just trying to eat healthy to lose weight and feel good, you can have dietary restrictions and still get through the holidays with a smile. Here's how:

Benjamin Franklin once said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." You need to have food and snack options available at all times in order to feel like you're not missing out and to ensure you stick with your dietary needs. Bring a dish you can eat to parties, keep dairy-free chocolates on hand when everyone else is inhaling sugar cookies, and talk to restaurants ahead of time so you have something to eat when you go out for a family dinner.

Maybe you can't eat the plate of holiday cookies your coworker brought in, but you can drink wine! Embrace it and be thankful for the festive goodies you can enjoy. And if there's a certain food you really don't want to live without, try to find an alternative that you can eat. If eggs are off limits, find an egg-free peanut butter kiss cookie recipe instead. Staying positive might require a little creativity.

Don't be afraid to talk to people about your dietary needs. Nine times out of 10, they'll be super supportive and want to do everything they can to make sure you can eat. If you can't eat meat, offer to bring a vegetarian dish. If you can't eat soup made with cream, send a dairy-free recipe. If your mother's idea of Paleo means to only cook with pale-colored foods, help her out by giving her a little Paleo 101 lesson. The more you talk about your dietary needs, the more people will understand and the better you'll feel about it.

Definitely don't suffer through eating something that will make you feel sick or will have adverse side effects. If you can't tolerate even a sip of eggnog, don't! Temptation will be your greatest enemy, so try to avoid situations that might make you more likely to say, "Oh, I'll just have a little taste." On the other hand, if having a bite of fried latkes with sour cream won't kill you, allow yourself to indulge a little without overdoing it.

As a vegan who also avoids alcohol and sugar, one of the things that's helped me the most is to talk about how sad I feel missing out on all the holiday goodies. Saying out loud how much you wish you could eat your grandmother's pumpkin cheesecake might be just the thing to help you get past the fact that you can't eat it.

Another thing that works is to remind yourself of the bigger picture. Eating a gingerbread man cookie might make you feel good in that two-minute moment, but if you remind yourself why you can't eat it, that you'll feel so much better physically and emotionally if you don't, it might make it easier to say no. The holidays will definitely test your willpower, but you're strong! If you make the holidays less about the food and more about friends, family, and joy, you'll sore through New Year's Day without a hitch!