Eating with the seasons: a lighter way to celebrate the holidays
Every season has a personality: Spring is the morning of the year, fresh, green, waking up; Summer is the wild child, bright, juicy, overflowing with energy; Autumn is the great exhale, earthy, grounding, cozy and then comes winter! December, especially, arrives with its own rhythm: candles flickering, cold mornings, rich smells, and the feeling that the world is whispering, “Slow down. Come inside. Let yourself be held.”
Eating with the seasons is not a diet, it’s about partnering with nature, acknowledging that we, too, are seasonal creatures and winter foods are designed to nourish us exactly where we are.
Winter foods are warm, grounding, deeply nourishing and beautifully designed to support your body exactly when it needs more stability, warmth, and calm.
In the summer months, nature cools us with hydrating fruits, crisp vegetables, and quick-burning foods that match our high energy and long days but Winter is the opposite. It asks us to warm up, slow down, and protect our energy. When you eat in harmony with winter’s offerings, you don’t finish December feeling inflamed, puffy, or exhausted. In stead you should feel nourished and satisfied without the need for restriction or willpower.
Personally when I am in a colder climate I eat more root vegetables, like sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips and squash. They comfort your body and stabilize your energy.
I add lots of dark greens like kale, chard, and collards help to help counterbalance the holiday indulgences.
Clementines, oranges, and grapefruit deliver bursts of immune-boosting vitamin C and serotonin-lifting freshness and herbs and spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, sage, rosemary naturally reduce sugar cravings.
These flavors all feel like “Christmas.”
Here are some LighterLiving principles for cold weather/winter eating and my favorite recipes for a full, festive, gluten-free day of meals.
A warm breakfast of Apple Cinnamon oats will relax your digestion and prevent afternoon cravings.
Ingredients for 1 serving:
½ cup certified gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup your favorite milk
1 small apple, chopped
1 tbsp walnuts
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
Add oats, milk, apple, cinnamon, and salt to a saucepan.
Simmer 5–7 minutes until creamy.
Top with walnuts and optional maple syrup.
Enjoy with a clementine for a bright, seasonal counterbalance.
A delicious and nutritious, vegetarian lunch or a dinner side dish of kale and roasted squash.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
4 cups chopped kale
8 cloves of peeled garlic
1 cup roasted butternut squash cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Sea salt + pepper
Optional: 2 tbsp dried cranberries
Instructions:
Roast squash and whole garlic cloves at 400°F for 30 minutes or until tender and browned.
Massage kale with olive oil + lemon until soft.
Add squash, seeds, and cranberries.
Serve warm or room temperature
I love to make roasted spiced nuts as Xmas gifts or to simply have around as a healthy snack
Ingredients for 2 cups:
2 cups mixed raw nuts
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp avocado oil
½ tsp cinnamon
Chilli flakes if you love spice
¼ tsp nutmeg
Pinch sea salt
Instructions:
Mix everything in a bowl.
Bake at 325°F for 12–15 minutes.
Cool and store in a jar.
A dinner of tender roast herbed chicken, creamy cauliflower, caramelized carrots, and a bright citrus salad.
Ingredients for 4:
1 whole chicken or 4 breasts or 4 large thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 lemon
4 garlic cloves
Instructions:
Rub chicken with oil, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Roast at 425°F for 30 mins (breasts), 45–55 min (thighs) or up to 80 min (whole chicken).
Rest 10 minutes before serving.
A side of creamy cauliflower
Ingredients for 4 servings :
1 head cauliflower
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter or ghee
Salt + pepper
Optional: GF parmesan
Instructions:
Steam cauliflower + garlic until soft.
Mash with butter.
Season to taste.
A side of caramelized carrots
Ingredients for 4 servings:
8–10 carrots
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp honey or maple syrup
Pinch salt
Instructions:
Sauté carrots in butter 8–10 minutes.
Add honey + salt.
Cook until glossy and caramelized.
A fresh arugula/citrus salad
Ingredients for 4 servings:
4 cups arugula
2 orange or 4 clementines
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch sea salt
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients.
Toss lightly and serve.
A delicious warming winter desert of poached pears served with whipped cream or yoghurt
Ingredients for 4 servings:
4 ripe pears
1 cups water
2 cups red wine
4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
4 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipped cream
Instructions:
Simmer water, wine, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Add pears and cook 10–15 minutes until soft.
Serve warm with a spoonful of whipped cream, sour cream or greek yogurt and a square of dark chocolate.
December is a month of feelings.
Remember that during the holidays we gather with friends and family to remember, celebrate, honor traditions, and create new ones.
Seasonal eating recognizes this emotional landscape and offers foods that nourish the soul as much as the body.
You don’t have to avoid holiday foods just return to the wisdom of eating what the season is already offering so as to finish December feeling nurtured, not heavy.
written by Marjolein Brugman
Marjolein Brugman is the founder of lighterliving and Aeropilates. “lighterliving is a movement and lifestyle choice we can all make. Let’s make it simple – make one decision a day to be better and watch the small steps lead to big changes. Eat smart, stay active, and you’ll live to feel a lighter life."
