I didn't need to "get back on track" after my holiday. Here's why.

I got back from Spain a few days ago after spending time with family and friends, enjoying the hot weather (although it was hotter in Hampshire than in Barcelona!) and, of course, eating some incredible food.

There was fresh bread with almost every meal, desserts, tapas, pastries from local bakeries, ice cream and long lunches that naturally turned into slow afternoons around the table. Food was part of the experience, just as it always is when I go there.

A lovely lunch by the marina

As I unpacked my suitcase back in England, I found myself thinking about how I used to feel after coming home from Spain.

I would have spent the journey back thinking about everything I'd eaten and how I was going to make up for it. I'd already be planning a strict meal plan starting on Monday, promising myself I'd avoid bread, skip desserts and "eat clean" until I felt back in control.

But this time, instead, I unpacked, did my food shopping, filled the fridge with the foods I normally enjoy and got on with my week.

There was no need to compensate for the holiday because there was nothing to compensate for.

That might not sound remarkable, but for me, it's one of the clearest signs of how much my relationship with food has changed.

The interesting part wasn't what I ate when I got home

Something else happened that made me smile.

Back in Barcelona, bread was part of almost every meal. We'd use it to soak up delicious sauces or simply drizzle it with good olive oil. Breakfast might be a sweet olive oil torta from the local bakery, a croissant or even churros. And on warm afternoons, an ice cream often felt like the perfect way to cool down.

None of those choices felt like a treat I'd "allowed" myself to have. They were simply part of being there. They were part of the culture, the traditions and the joy of sharing food with family. I ate them because I wanted to, without worrying about whether I should be making different choices.

I love these ''tortas'' (You can find them in Waitrose 😉)

When I came home, I noticed I wasn't reaching for them as often. Not because I'd decided to cut them out, or I thought I'd eaten too much of them. I just didn't particularly fancy it and naturally found myself craving different things. A simple yoghurt with fruit sounded lovely. So did a colourful salad and a home-cooked meal.

Years ago, I would have called this "being disciplined." Now I know it wasn't discipline at all.

It was trust.

What changed?

People sometimes assume that having a healthy relationship with food means you never think about nutrition, or that you stop caring about your health.

For me, the opposite has happened.

I care about my health just as much as I always have. Maybe even more. The difference is that my choices no longer come from fear.

Years ago, if I ate more bread than usual, I'd immediately try to restrict it or eat less the following week. The more I tried to control my eating, the more I thought about food.

Now, I trust that my body is perfectly capable of finding its own balance.

After eating more bread than usual, it makes sense that I might naturally fancy less of it for a while.

After several rich meals, I often find myself craving vegetables, fresh fruit or something lighter. I don't have to force those choices. They happen because I'm listening to my body instead of trying to outsmart it.

Why restriction makes this so much harder

One of the biggest lessons I've learnt is that restriction keeps food at the centre of your attention.

When certain foods feel limited, they become more tempting. You think about them more. That's food noise. You promise yourself you'll only have a little, then wonder if you've had too much. You tell yourself you'll be "good" tomorrow, and the cycle starts again. It's exhausting.

When food is no longer forbidden, something surprising happens.

It starts to lose some of its emotional charge. Bread becomes... bread, cake becomes... cake. They're foods you can enjoy when you want them and leave when you don't.

That's exactly what happened after my holiday. I didn't need to use willpower to avoid bread or sweet breakfasts. I simply wasn't interested in having them every day anymore.

Healing my relationship with food didn't stop me from caring about nutrition

Sometimes people hear about Intuitive Eating and assume it means eating whatever you want, whenever you want, without thinking about nutrition.

That hasn't been my experience.

Healing my relationship with food has actually made it easier to care for my health. When food isn't surrounded by guilt or rules, I can pay attention to what my body is asking for.

Some days that's a comforting bowl of pasta. Other days, it's a crunchy salad with grilled chicken because that's genuinely what sounds satisfying.

Nutrition becomes information instead of a set of instructions.

It's no longer about asking, "What should I eat?"

It's about asking, "What would help me feel well today?"

Those are very different questions.

If you're feeling the urge to get back on track after holidays

If you've recently come back from holiday or you're going soon and you're already planning a detox, a reset or a strict eating plan, I'd like to offer a different perspective.

What if your body doesn't need fixing?

What if it simply needs the chance to settle back into its usual rhythm?

You don't have to earn your everyday meals because you enjoyed your holiday. You don't have to punish yourself for making happy memories around food. And you certainly don't have to prove you've been "good" now that you're home.

One holiday doesn't define your health, just as one salad doesn't.

Our bodies are remarkably good at finding balance when we stop interrupting them with guilt, restriction and the pressure to be perfect.

The biggest shift wasn't in my eating. It was in my trust.

If you'd told me seven years ago that I'd come back from Spain without feeling guilty about the food I'd eaten, I don't think I'd have believed you.

Back then, I thought having a healthy relationship with food meant having enough willpower to stick to a plan.

Now I know it's something very different.

It's trusting myself.

Trusting that I can enjoy bread in Spain without feeling the need to avoid it in England.

Trusting that my body knows when it wants something fresh, something comforting or something sweet.

Trusting that my health is shaped by how I care for myself over months and years, not by what I ate on holiday.

That trust didn't appear overnight. It took time, compassion and a lot of unlearning.

But I can honestly say it's one of the most freeing things I've ever experienced.

And if you're reading this while feeling anxious about getting "back on track" after holidays, I hope it reminds you that there is another way.

A way where food can simply be food, holidays can be enjoyed without regret, and looking after your health doesn't begin with punishing yourself the moment you get home.