The festive season arrives with celebration, comfort and connection. But for many of us, it also brings a subtle background pressure: How do I enjoy myself without losing the healthy habits I’ve worked so hard to build?
At HybO2 House, we see this every December. Clients want balance. They want joy. They want to honour their bodies without falling into “all or nothing” thinking.
And this is exactly where the guidance of Caroline Longmore, one of the UK’s most respected naturopaths and a leader in integrative medicine for over 40 years, becomes invaluable.
Caroline specialises in everything from nutrition and food intolerance testing to stress and burnout recovery, hormonal balance, healthy ageing and sustainable weight management. Her philosophy is simple: support the whole person – mind, body and energy – so that healthy choices become natural, not forced.
Below are her top insights for navigating December with ease.
1. Start with a calm and grounded nervous system
Most festive overeating doesn’t happen because we’re “weak”, it happens because our stress levels are high and our nervous system is dysregulated.
Caroline has spent decades helping clients understand how stress, cortisol fluctuations, emotional overwhelm and burnout drive cravings for sugar, carbs and alcohol. When we slow down, breathe, and create moments of grounding our biology shifts, and so do our choices.
Quick practices Caroline recommends:
- 2 minutes of slow nasal breathing before meals
- Short outdoor walks to reset energy and appetite
- Pausing to check your hunger level on a scale of 1-10
- Choosing protein first to stabilise blood sugar and reduce cravings
2. Eat for energy, not for perfection
Caroline teaches a deeply liberating principle: Your body doesn’t need perfect eating – it needs predictable nourishment.
On days full of dinners, drinks and events, she encourages clients to:
- Anchor their first meal in protein and healthy fats (e.g. eggs, avocado, smoked salmon, chia pudding)
- Add colour wherever possible (greens, berries, roasted veg)
- Focus on hydration before alcohol
- Avoid skipping meals, this almost always leads to overeating later
Instead of restrictions, you create biological stability. And stability naturally reduces the pull towards overindulgence.
3. Choose joy intentionally, not reactively
Caroline works extensively with clients struggling with stress, emotional eating and burnout. Once of her most powerful approaches is to help people tune back into the difference between eating with intention vs. eating on autopilot.
This festive season, try asking:
- Do I really want this, or am I eating because it’s there?
- Will this bring me joy, comfort, or neither?
- What option would make me feel good an hour from now?
This is not about denial – it’s about reclaiming presence.
When you do choose the mince pie, the cheese platter, the mulled wine… you choose it with pleasure, not guilt.
4. Support your digestion and immune system
As a naturopath trained in nutrition, herbal medicine and functional diagnostics, Caroline places huge emphasis on supporting the digestive system, especially during December when rich foods, late nights and stress can take a toll.
Her simple non-restrictive tips include:
- A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before heavier meals
- Bitter herbs or rocket leaves to stimulate digestion
- Ginger or peppermint tea after eating
- Adding fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha) a few times a week
- Keeping vitamin C and zinc topped up to protect immunity
These micro-actions prevent that “sluggish, swollen, puffy” feeling that people often mistake as weight gain.
5. Don't wait for January to look after yourself
Caroline has seen, time and time again, that health collapses when people drift into the mindset of: “I’ll sort myself out in January.”
The truth?
Your body responds immediately to small acts of support, even in December.
This might look like:
- A 15-minute walk
- A glass of water between each festive drink
- Going to bed 30 minutes earlier
- Booking a rejuvenating session of red light or hyperbaric oxygen therapy at HybO2 House (where Caroline now also consults)
Healthy balance isn’t built in the big decisions; it’s built in the quiet ones.
6. Focus on how you want to feel
Caroline’s work in hormonal balance, energy optimisation and mind-body wellbeing teaches this one crucial truth:
When you shift your focus from “How do I control my food?” to “How do I want to feel?”, your entire relationship with eating changes.
Do you want to feel light? Energised? Rested? Comfortable in your clothes? Or perhaps calm, connected, joyful?
Let that guide your choices, and the season becomes easier, more intuitive, and far more enjoyable.
A final note from Caroline
The festive season isn’t a test of willpower.
It’s an opportunity to nourish yourself in a fuller way, body, mind and energy.
Enjoy the meals. Enjoy the moments. And trust that every small act of self-support matters.
If you’d like personalised support, diagnostic testing, or a fully tailored nutrition and lifestyle plan, Caroline Longmore is now offering consultations from HybO2 House, where her integrative expertise perfectly complements our advanced wellness therapies.
This December, choose wellbeing, not restriction. And choose it in a way that feels beautifully, gently sustainable.
Contact the team at HybO2 House to book your consultation with Caroline here.