Merry Christmas: What the Nativity Fast Taught Me About Faith, Food, and Listening to My Body

By Amanda Harrison, PGD RN HWC — Mediterranean Diet Specialist

A cozy Christmas scene features a festive table adorned with a Panettone dusted with powdered sugar, surrounded by holiday decorations, pinecones, and twinkling lights, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Merry Christmas 🤍 This Christmas, I’m reflecting not just on the joy of the Nativity, but on how the Nativity Fast quietly reshaped my relationship with food, health, and my own body.

Going into the fast, I had heard about the nutritional benefits, and I'm pleased to say that somewhere within the last month and a half, something really interesting happened: my body and mind adapted.

Over the weeks of eating more beans, legumes, lentils, vegetables, whole grains, and simple meals, I noticed my digestion settle, my energy become steadier, and my cravings change. From a nutritional perspective, this makes complete sense. A diet richer in fibre and plant diversity supports gut health, blood sugar balance, and satiety. But experiencing it personally was far more powerful than knowing it academically.

The fast become more restrictive as time moved closer and closer towards Christmas (especially within the last week of it). However, because of the adaptation and preparation in the earlier months of the nativity fast, this felt not such a problem for me. I actually now have some new vegan meals that have become firm favourites. These are Arakas Latheros (pea and potato stew) and Fassolakia (green bean and tomato stew). They don't look fancy, but really are wholesome and delicious. I plan to shoot a video to demonstrate how to make these recipes in the new year. So, watch this space.

Christmas Day itself was a moment of clarity for me. In the past, my first craving after a fast—or even just during the holidays—would have been croissants, chocolates, or something very sweet and refined. This year, what my body genuinely wanted was eggs. So, I made avocado and eggs on toast, and it felt deeply nourishing and satisfying.

That shift told me everything. It wasn’t about restriction. It was about adaptation. My body had recalibrated to real, nutrient dense food, and it was asking for protein and healthy fats, not sugar highs.

Now, I’m currently visiting family, and as expected, there’s a lot of delicious and inviting festive processed food around. Being in this environment after the fast has been surprisingly educational. The ultra processed snacks and meals don’t feel comforting or tempting in the way they once did. Instead, they’ve made me feel physically uncomfortable, "acidic", bloated, and disconnected from my body’s cues. Also frustratingly pains occurred in my joints and legs.

And honestly? I see that as a positive. Not in a judgmental or rigid way, but as a sign of awareness. I am deeply thankful for the lovely foods presented before me. But the fast helped me reconnect with how food actually makes me feel, rather than how it’s marketed to make me feel. As a nutritionist, this is something I talk about often: when we eat simply and intentionally for a period of time, our bodies become better at communicating with us. And when we listen, our choices naturally shift.

Spiritually, the Nativity Fast reminded me that discipline doesn’t shrink life, it clarifies it. Physically, it reinforced that health is not about extremes, but about alignment. Alignment with our faith, our values, and our biology. Spiritually I felt closer to God. When troubles occurred it felt more comfortable to leave it with Him. Rather than keep picking them up and trying to deal with it myself. I also rejoined a bible study group, the support and love have been wonderful.

As we celebrate Christmas, I’m choosing joy and nourishment, not perfection. I’m carrying forward what the fast taught me: to eat in a way that supports my body, to notice how food makes me feel, and to treat health as an act of stewardship, not control.

May this season bring you peace, presence, and the wisdom to listen—both in faith and in health.

Merry Christmas 🎄✨