Holiday Nutrition Tips: How to Fuel Confidently This Season

Dec 11, 2025
8 min read

Updated: Jan 2

Holiday nutrition tips: How to fuel confidently this season

The holiday season can be joyful and meaningful, but let’s be honest, it also presents its fair share of challenges.

Work and school schedules shift. Travel may enter the picture. Cookies and sweets appear in every direction. Emotions (both positive and negative) run high. And many people start wondering how to navigate holiday nutrition without feeling out of control.

You might notice some of these normalized behaviors creeping in:

“Saving up” calories before big meals
Viewing foods as “good” or “bad”
Eating past fullness and feeling uncomfortable
Exercising because you "should," not because you actually want to
Approaching food with an "all or nothing" mindset
Promising yourself that you'll "get back on track" on January 1st

If any of this resonates, you’re absolutely not alone. But here’s the good news: You can fuel confidently during the holidays and enjoy a wide variety of foods, without rigid rules.

In this post, I'll walk through how to make that happen.

Prefer to listen or watch? Check out this bonus episode of The Eat for Endurance Podcast, where I talk through my top holiday nutrition tips in more detail, and build on what I shared in my last episode and blog on off-season nutrition.

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If you want to dive deeper into this topic, join my membership, Fuel for Life Crew, and get instant access to my newest masterclass, "The Athlete's Guide to Off-Season and Holiday Fueling," my entire resource library, and to me in our private Slack community.

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Holiday Nutrition Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated

Your body doesn’t need the latest fad diet. It still thrives on the same foundational principles, including:

Regular, balanced meals and snacks
Adequate carbs and other nutrients to match activity levels
Consistent hydration
Movement that feels supportive (not forced)
Sleep and rest

I know, so boring right?! What's usually changing is your environment, and that usually means less control over food choices and more unpredictable schedules.

Personally, my December is full of holiday events, birthday parties, as much work as I can humanly cram in before my kids' school closes for 3.5 weeks (WHY?!), and my family's first long road trip (wish us luck). To be honest, chaos seems to be the name of the game year-round in my current season of life, but the holidays definitely feel a bit extra.

So instead of trying to figure out a brand-new nutrition strategy this holiday season, I want you to infuse flexibility and compassion into your existing fueling framework. And if you're not already following my core fueling principles, don't worry - I'll share them below.

Holiday Nutrition Pitfalls: Restriction & Compensation

Many people struggle with holiday nutrition because they fall into the common traps of restricting food intake (generally or before/after a big meal) and/or compensating for what they eat through exercise.

Here's how this often shows up:

Skipping or delaying meals
Trying to "eat clean" before/after events
Cutting carbs, despite being very active
Exercising to earn or make up for food consumption
Avoiding foods you deem "bad," or eating them and beating yourself up about it after

These patterns backfire because they often lead to:

Energy swings
Irritability
Increased evening hunger
Guilt or shame when you do eat, especially if you overeat

Restriction almost always sets the stage for feeling out of control around food. Instead, let’s focus on what does work.

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Nutrition Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

Even in the midst of all the chaos, you can fall back on these simple holiday nutrition tips to stay well-fueled. These are some of the core fueling principles that I teach year-round (and covered in more depth in my last blog post).

1. Try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking

Skipping or delaying breakfast puts you behind for the day and usually increases nighttime hunger, often reducing your ability to make smart decisions that align with your body's wants and needs.

If you're in the habit of grabbing a coffee first thing and not eating until hours later (hello, fellow parents trying to get kids out the door to school), work on including at least something small with your coffee and build from there.

2. Eat every 2–4 hours

This keeps blood sugar levels more stable, helps to prevent overeating, and supports performance and recovery if you’re training regularly.

3. Build balanced meals: carbs + protein + fat + color

You don't need to build a "perfect" plate. Just try to include the three macronutrients in adequate quantities to feel satisfied and to support your health and fitness goals. If you have no idea what your needs are, browse my blogs as I have TONS of resources for you all about that (such as this one).

4. Keep snacks on hand

If you've been here awhile, you know how I feel about snacks. They. Are. Essential!

Whether you're on the go locally or traveling further away for the holidays, it really helps to have snacks on hand. Easy options include:

Individual yogurts or yogurt drinks
Protein or other bars
Fruit (fresh, dried, applesauce pouches)
Pretzels or crackers (pair with cheese, PB, or hummus)
Jerky
Trail mix
Cheese sticks
PB&J

If you want more ideas, check out my most popular blog and download: Travel Snack Foods & Checklist.

5. Hydrate consistently

With all the running around, schedule changes, travel and other distractions, it's easy to forget to hydrate. Remember, all fluids count (except for alcohol) towards your hydration goals! But just an FYI, you probably don't need to be chugging electrolyte drinks 24/7.

Want to learn more about hydrating as an active person? Read my comprehensive guide on Hydration for Athletes.

6. Fuel your workouts

It's key that you always fuel your workouts so you aren’t ravenous later. That means fueling before and after every training session, and during when appropriate.

I have resources that go in depth into fueling before, during, and after your workouts so check them out if you want to learn more!

Holiday Events: Don’t Arrive Overly Hungry

This is one of the simplest, most effective holiday fueling strategies. Obviously, you want to have a healthy appetite when you're about to enjoy some delicious food. But arriving ravenous? Not a smart move.

Eat normally throughout the day, and have a balanced snack (carbs + protein) 2–3 hours before the event.

This helps you:

Slow down while eating
Stay tuned into hunger/fullness cues
Choose foods you actually want
Enjoy the meal without obsessing or frantically inhaling everything around you

Need some snack ideas? Here are a few examples:

Peanut butter + banana toast
Yogurt + fruit
A small sandwich
A smoothie
A small portion of leftovers

Have just enough to take the edge off, but not a full meal.

Let Holiday Foods Be Part of the Plan

Holiday foods don’t need to be earned, justified, or “worked off.” They can simply be enjoyed.

Ask yourself questions like:

What foods do I genuinely love and look forward to having this time of year?
What would feel satisfying to me today?
Which foods do I not care about as much?

For example:

If you love pie, have the pie
If store-bought rolls don’t do it for you, skip them
If stuffing makes the meal feel complete, include it
If brussels sprouts sound good, add them
If forcing yourself to eat salad for the sake of eating greens feels joyless, don't do it

Holiday meals might be heavier on carbs or sweets. That’s okay. Your health is not defined by one meal or even one week of eating.

Check In with Your Body Without Judgment

Gentle self-checks can help you stay connected. Eat slowly enough (and chew your food!) so that you can occasionally take a quick break to ask:

Am I still hungry?
Do I feel satisfied?
Do I want more?
Am I eating because it’s here, or because I actually want it?

This isn’t about restriction, it’s about awareness. And yes, sometimes you’ll eat past fullness or when you’re not hungry. That’s totally normal. If that happens, go for a gentle walk, sip some tea, wear comfy clothes and let it pass, because it will.

What matters most is avoiding the restrict → overeat → guilt cycle. If this is something you really struggle with, especially if year-round, you may need additional support from a mental health professional and/or a dietitian like myself.

Navigating Holiday Travel

Travel always makes nutrition a bit trickier, but some simple habits make a big difference:

Bring a variety of snacks
Hydrate throughout the day
Eat breakfast even if the morning is hectic
Stick to the core fueling principles as best you can

For more help, check out my Travel Snack Foods & Checklist. I also have a free travel nutrition download, and a podcast episode full of ideas.

Exercise During the Holidays: Do What Feels Good

Whether you’re in your off-season, starting a new training block, or training for life, movement should feel good and be something you're choosing to do to support your health and fitness goals.

Okay, maybe sometimes it doesn't feel so good (type 2 fun, anyone?!) but it certainly shouldn't be a strategy to compensate for food. The “earn and burn” mentality erodes your relationship with food and training, and it doesn’t support performance or health long term.

Personally, I enjoy staying flexible with my exercise plans, especially this time of year. If I'm not feeling up for a run, I may go for a beach walk or a chilled out ride instead, or just rest. If I'm not enjoying what I'm doing, that's a sign that it's time to mix things up.

Holiday Nutrition Tips: Bringing It All Together

The holidays can be stressful, but food doesn’t have to be one of the stressors.

Remember:

Keep your baseline fueling structure in place
Adjust your nutrition based on activity level and schedule, not the time of year
Avoid restricting foods surrounding holidays and compensating with exercise
Let holiday foods be a part of your plan
Move in ways that feel good and fun (it can still be challenging!)
Give yourself grace when things don’t go as planned

You deserve to nourish yourself well during the holidays and every other day of the year.

Want More Support?

If you want help navigating both holiday and off-season fueling, my full masterclass, The Athlete’s Guide to Holiday & Off-Season Fueling, is available inside my Fuel for Life Crew membership.

For just $39, you get:

The full workshop recording
1 month inside the membership
Access to every masterclass and download in my resource library
Individual support from me and a community of active people inside our private Slack channel

This is the easiest and most cost-effective way to work with me.

Join for just $39/month (cancel anytime)

If you're looking to transform your nutrition and health in 2026, I’m accepting new 1:1 clients! Whether you’re training for a race, staying active in your busy life, or just want more energy and confidence around food, I'd love to help you build real, sustainable habits that fit your life.

I offer 3- and 6-month programs and accept a limited number of clients to ensure every person receives the individualized attention and depth of support required to create lasting, meaningful change. Learn more about my 1:1 services.

Don’t just take it from me - here's a review I got from a client this week:

"I decided to work 1:1 with Claire about 6 months ago and it has been the best investment I have ever made. My skin is 100% clear. My hair is no longer falling out. My cycle length is just about perfect and I have no cramps. I also feel so much stronger during my workouts. But I have to say, the best part of all is how much calmer I feel. I used to always feel so wound up and was constantly yelling at my kids. I am not just a better athlete but also a better wife and mother because I am nourished and I have Claire's knowledge and expertise to thank." - Anna L.