How to Nourish Yourself This Christmas and Truly Thrive During the Festive Season

Jemma Billings

It is easy to reach the end of the festive season feeling depleted and more worn out than when it began. The season is a joyful, yet relentless, mix of activities, rich foods, drinks, and late nights. You absolutely shouldn’t be coming into January feeling like you need another holiday and a fast to get back to how you felt in November.

This scenario is all too familiar: you hit January feeling guilty, exhausted, and convinced you need some miracle, restrictive regime to get back on track. But here at Jemma’s Nutritional Coaching, we know it doesn’t have to be this way. You can enjoy a full festive season without the brain fog, bloating, and total burnout at the end.

The month of December is laden with a barrage of mince pies, open tins of Quality Street, festive drinks, and food upgrades whenever you eat out. All of these extra portions can leave you stuffed to bursting and neglecting your main meals, meaning you skimp on essential proteins and nutrients. This leaves your body tired and your immune system low, making the sofa your home for the holidays.

Instead of putting off nutritious eating until the new year, I’m sharing my nutritional coach’s best system-based tips for how to make small, strategic changes during the season. The goal is to emerge feeling well once the partying is over-without feeling deprived or like you’ve missed out on any of the magic.

Jemma's Guide to Guilt-Free Festive Nourishment

1. Beware of the Scarcity Mindset

Some foods seem to only be available for a limited time, like festive-themed treats. This can lead you to feel pressured to consume them all immediately. In reality, food is abundant during this season and beyond, so there is no need to feel pressured. Instead, practice mindful appreciation. Approach your plate with an abundance mindset and notice the difference this makes to your festive eating and your sense of food freedom.

2. Grant Yourself Permission to Eat

We constantly think, “I shouldn’t have X, Y, or Z.” When we inevitably eat those items, we perpetuate a cycle of guilt and anxiety. This is a huge drain on your executive function—the mental capacity you need for everything else. Allow yourself to eat the foods you love. Take a moment before eating and think: “What do I actually love? What will satisfy me? And what is going to nourish me?” Prioritise the foods that meet the first two criteria, and then balance your plate with the third.

3. Add Food, Don’t Take It Away

Instead of thinking about what you should remove, focus on what you can add to your plate to make a positive impact on your health and nutrition. If you love a Christmas evening buffet, rather than thinking what you shouldn’t add, think: “What can I add that brings value to my body and helps me feel energised?”

Try adding a vibrant salsa dip for your crisps, grapes to your cheese board, or luscious green salad leaves to your cold meats plate or sandwich. All of these additions bring vital colours, good sources of fibre, and key nutrients, helping you feel fuller and more satisfied.

4. Menu Check for Performance Fuel

Checking the menu beforehand online or in person can help you pick dishes with your health in mind and be less influenced by others or impulse. Remember that as a coach with retail experience, my focus is on Performance Fuel. Don't be afraid to ask for alterations to meals to make them better suited to you, such as swapping chips for potatoes or reducing cheese or dressing amounts. This small act of control protects your energy levels for the busy day ahead.

5. Be Drink Aware and Hydrate

It is important to stay within the recommended 14 units per week for men and women, particularly as we tend to drink more over the holiday season. An easy system to manage this is to alternate soft drinks with alcoholic ones, or opt for 0% alcohol options. Crucially, keep yourself well hydrated with water or herbal teas. Staying hydrated aids digestion and counters the diuretic effects of alcohol, helping you avoid that groggy, brain-fogged feeling.

6. Smart Swaps for Budget & Body

My background as a retail buyer taught me the power of smart, strategic choices. You can apply this to your plate. Use Greek yoghurt in place of double cream on your desserts, or opt for whole grains such as wholewheat crackers for your cheese board. This is an effortless way to make a big difference to your fibre consumption and nutritional gain.

7. Keep the Systems Moving: Stay Active

If you normally walk to the train station or walk the kids to school, it is best to keep these micro-moments of exercise up during the days when you are off. Don’t let your routines lapse entirely. Keep your body moving and capture any morning or midday sunshine to protect your mood and energy.

8. Find Connection Beyond the Table

The festive season is about joy and connection, not just food. As well as implementing these nutritional tips, remember you can socialise in other ways. Your journey to wellbeing has a ripple effect—inspire those around you to try a new kind of fun.

  • Go for a nature walk around your local park or woods.
  • Do a festive light tour—a great Christmas tradition for family time.
  • Volunteer at a local food bank or Santa sleigh run to boost your endorphins and connection.
  • Swap your usual festive pub lunch for an escape room or bowling activity.

Ready to ditch the January diet guilt for good?

I hope these hints and tips will really help you this festive season. If you are looking for more bespoke support on navigating your eating out and home cooking during this busy time, I have limited spaces available for a 1-hour coaching session to help you create your personalised Christmas strategy.

➡️ Book Your 1-Hour Session Today for £70

If, after reading this, you feel you would like to permanently replace food struggle with control and join the small-steps, big-results approach, the 90-day Nourish and Thrive programme is for you. We will build the robust system you need for lasting food freedom and peak energy for success in every area of your life.

➡️ Discover the Nourish and Thrive Programme (Investment: £999)

📚 Further Reading and Resources