last revised: 03.12.2025
Major points:
- Traditional diets and even Neatic can be challenging during the Christmas season. With a few simple tips, you can navigate the holidays more comfortably with Neatic.
- Prepare as much as possible yourself. This way, you can control which ingredients are included.
- Stay relaxed if things do not go well on a particular day. Simply start fresh the next day.
Christmas time is cookie time!
Do you also love the Christmas season? Cozy evenings wrapped in a blanket with a hot tea or cocoa. Social gatherings at the Christmas market with dear friends. The festive decorations everywhere. The special atmosphere when walking through the streets at night with all the illuminated windows. And especially the scent of fir branches, oranges, and freshly baked cookies!
For many, the Christmas season is a particularly wonderful time. It is also often a period when eating habits can become quite disrupted. To help you enjoy the Advent season with Neatic, we have gathered 4 tips to support you:
Tip 1: Ready, set, bake
A Christmas season without cookies, gingerbread, and fruit loaf is unthinkable. But Neatic does not expect that at all. Here, the quantity is key. Maybe it does not have to be the entire package of gingerbread, no matter how delicious they are. Take a cookie or a piece of gingerbread from the package and then put the package back in the cupboard. This way, it is more of an effort to get up from the sofa to get more.
Also, pay attention when shopping to the ingredient lists of products and avoid purchasing items that contain added flavors or sweeteners.
A good option is to bake cookies yourself. In most recipes, the amount of sugar can easily be reduced by half without a noticeable difference in taste. Give it a try! Sometimes, even homemade cookies contain added flavors. Therefore, read recipes carefully and consider how you can replace the added flavor or if you can simply omit it.
For example, if a recipe calls for lemon flavoring, you can easily replace it with some lemon zest. Buy an organic lemon, wash it with hot water, grate the peel finely, and add a bit of it to the dough instead of the flavoring. You can use the lemon for a homemade fruit punch.
Instead of vanilla flavoring, you can simply split a vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds carefully, and use them.
If you are looking for ideas for Christmas recipes, feel free to browse through our recipes. There you will find apricot cookies, choco crossies, cardamom squares, marzipan potatoes and much more.
Tip 2: No mulled wine is not a solution either
The Christmas season also means strolling from one Christmas market to another, meeting for a mulled wine or non-alcoholic punch, and enjoying the atmosphere of the market with all its stalls. Our all-rounder tip here is: Avoid foods that obviously do not fit with Neatic and choose the best possible options!
Think ahead about which food stalls are most likely to offer Neatic-friendly meals. Suggest to your friends to go there. With mulled wine and non-alcoholic punch, there is a high chance they contain added flavors and lots of sugar. Choose the best possible alternative here as well. Maybe there is a hot orange juice where you only need to account for the sugar. Or you drink just one mulled wine instead of three. The most important thing is that you fully enjoy your visit to the Christmas market.
Another option might be to first gather at home for cooking and feasting, and then stroll together through the Christmas market to admire all the art, jewelry, and exhibition stands. This way, you still experience the Christmas market atmosphere without having to stand in the cold beforehand.
Tip 3: Silent night, delicious night
Now you have navigated the Christmas season calmly, and the Christmas celebration is approaching. Maybe in a small circle, or perhaps with the extended family.
To enjoy the holiday stress-free, ensure in advance that there are foods that align with Neatic. If you are hosting, you control what is cooked and how the dishes are prepared.
If you are invited to parents or friends, consider honestly expressing what is important to you regarding the meal. Others will surely be happy to accommodate. You also have the opportunity to contribute something to the buffet that contains no added flavors or sweeteners and less sugar. And who knows, maybe you can convince others with your delicious Neatic recipes.
Tip 4: Christmas is more than food
Even though much revolves around food, the Christmas season is more than that. Sometimes, shifting your focus slightly can help.
Instead of rushing from one Christmas market to another or engaging in one cookie-baking marathon after another, there are many enjoyable activities that do not involve food. The cozy season invites you to spend cheerful hours with friends, perhaps having a game night or crafting Advent wreaths together. A winter walk through the snow or under a starry night sky is also a lovely alternative if the hustle and bustle of the Christmas market becomes too overwhelming.
You can also think about alternatives to a chocolate Advent calendar. Small vouchers, photos tied to fond memories, jokes, or short stories are great options. Be creative! You have the power to shape your Christmas season.
Our most important tip for you, however, is: Stay relaxed if things do not go as planned. The Christmas season is a special time that allows for exceptions. Simply start fresh the next day!
And if you realise after Christmas that you have become a little less strict with your principles, you can get back on track in the new year!