If January gets all the attention for fresh starts, May deserves a reality check.
Nobody warns you about May. It sneaks up looking like sunshine and celebration — graduations, end-of-year parties, wedding weekends, the last sprint before summer. Your calendar fills up before you’ve had a chance to think about dinner. And somewhere between the school pickup, the work deadline, and the seating chart you’re finalizing at 11pm, food becomes the last thing you’re thinking about thoughtfully and the first thing you’re grabbing out of desperation.
I see you reaching for that diet soda on the way out the door. Or the large coffee drink loaded with sugar because it’s the only thing getting you to noon. I see the lunch you skipped, the drive-through you didn’t plan on, and the “I’ll just figure it out later” that becomes standing over the kitchen sink eating whatever requires zero effort.
“Food becomes the last thing you’re thinking about thoughtfully and the first thing you’re grabbing out of desperation“
And if you’re reading this in October, or January, or any other month that has you running on empty — this is for you too. Busy seasons don’t follow a calendar, and neither does the way stress quietly hijacks your eating. The month is different. The feeling is the same.
What Stress Is Actually Doing to Your Eating
When your body is under stress — and a packed May schedule absolutely counts — it triggers a hormonal response that was designed to protect you. Your cortisol rises, your blood sugar fluctuates, and your brain starts craving quick energy in the form of sugar, salt, and fat. This is not a character flaw. This is biology.
The problem is that the foods we tend to grab when we’re running on fumes — the sugary drinks, the processed snacks, the fast food — are some of the most inflammatory foods we can put in our bodies. And inflammation doesn’t just make you feel puffy or tired. It affects your mood, your focus, your energy, and over time, your long-term health.
“This is not a character flaw. This is biology.”
Here’s what most people miss: it’s not just one bad day that causes the problem. It’s the accumulation of a whole chaotic month of reactive eating that leaves you heading into summer feeling depleted, foggy, and frustrated — even though you were just living your life.
The good news is the fix doesn’t require a meal plan, a cleanse, or a complete lifestyle overhaul. It just requires a little awareness and one or two small anchors in your week.
The Permission Piece Nobody Gives You
May is not the month to be ambitious in the kitchen. I need you to hear that.
This is not the time to try a new complicated recipe, commit to cooking from scratch every night, or guilt yourself into a perfect eating week. That pressure is its own kind of stress, and it usually ends with you doing nothing because something feels impossible.
“That pressure is its own kind of stress”
What actually works in May is lowering the bar on purpose. Deciding ahead of time that dinner doesn’t have to be impressive — it just has to be real food that doesn’t make you feel worse. That’s the whole goal. And that bar? It’s much easier to clear than you think.
Some of the most nourishing meals I’ve ever eaten came together in 30 minutes with a handful of ingredients I already had. Not because I’m a professional chef. Because I stopped waiting until I had the time and energy to do it “right” and started making peace with doing it simply.
What Simple Actually Looks Like This Month
Here are a few anchors that work when life is full:
Cook one thing on Sunday that does double duty all week. It doesn’t have to be a whole meal prep session. Just one component — a protein, a grain, a sauce — that becomes the backbone of a few different dinners. Ground turkey cooked with spices on Sunday becomes a bowl on Monday, a wrap on Wednesday, and stuffed in a pepper on Thursday. You’re not eating the same thing twice. You’re just cooking smart once.
Stop letting perfect be the enemy of fed. A bowl of whatever’s in your fridge with a good sauce is still a real meal. Cauliflower rice sautéed with lemon and garlic takes eight minutes. Wilting spinach takes two. Anti-inflammatory eating doesn’t require a Pinterest board — it requires a skillet and a little intention.
“Stop letting perfect be the enemy of fed.”
Have one go-to recipe that never fails you. Not five. One. The one you can make without thinking, that everyone in your house will eat, that takes under 30 minutes and uses real ingredients. That recipe is your May anchor. Mine this month is an Everyday Mediterranean Bowl — spiced ground turkey, lemony cauliflower rice, wilted spinach, and a generous spoonful of dairy-free tzatziki. One pan does most of the work. It’s on the table in 30 minutes and it tastes like you tried much harder than you did.
The ingredients are anti-inflammatory without announcing it. Garlic, cumin, cinnamon, spinach, lemon. Real food that quietly does a lot of good work inside your body while tasting like something you actually want to eat.
One Last Thing Before June Gets Here
Every year I hear the same thing from women — and it’s not just in May. It’s September after a summer of travel. It’s November when the holidays hit. It’s March when life just got heavy for no specific reason. It always sounds the same: “I’ll get back on track when things slow down.”
And I get it. The next season always feels like the reset. But here’s what I’ve learned after years of working with women on their relationship with food: the gap between the chaos and the calm is actually when your food choices matter most. Not because you need to be perfect — but because a few good anchors during the hard weeks build the habit that carries you through.
“The gap between the chaos and the calm is actually when your food choices matter most”
You don’t need to overhaul anything. You just need one skillet, one reliable recipe, and the permission to make it simple.
That’s what I’m here for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does stress make me eat worse?
When your body is under stress, cortisol rises and blood sugar fluctuates — which triggers cravings for sugar, salt, and fat. It’s a biological response, not a willpower problem.
What is anti-inflammatory eating?
Anti-inflammatory eating focuses on whole, real foods — like vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and herbs and spices like garlic, turmeric, and cinnamon — that help reduce chronic inflammation in the body rather than trigger it.
What’s a simple anti-inflammatory meal for a busy week?
A bowl built around a spiced protein, a vegetable base, and a simple sauce covers all the bases. The Everyday Mediterranean Bowl is a great starting point — one pan, 30 minutes, and the turkey freezes beautifully for the week ahead.
If this kind of thinking resonates — the why behind the food, not just the what — I’d love to have you inside Sunday Simmer. It’s my weekly subscription newsletter that drops every Sunday with real strategies, anti-inflammatory recipes, and the accountability to actually make it stick. Because healthy eating doesn’t stop at the recipe.
