The holiday season can be a time of joy, connection, and celebration, but for many navigating therapeutic metabolic therapies, it also brings unique challenges: disrupted routines, social pressures, emotionally charged food traditions, and environments built around sugar and refined carbohydrates.
But what if the holidays didn’t have to feel like a setback?
We asked three experts in metabolic therapies, including peer coaches and a dietitian, to share their most powerful insights for staying steady through the season. From mindset shifts to scripted ways to talk to family about your nutritional needs to meal planning, their guidance is rooted in compassion, resilience, and real-world strategies that honor both mental health and metabolic healing.
In this article, you’ll find video highlights from our expert contributors, with their most inspiring messages and a curated recipe roundup featuring festive, brain-friendly dishes from community members like Dad’s Keto Kitchen, Accord, and Carnivore Jenny.
Whether you’re managing a serious mental illness or simply trying to preserve your hard-earned progress, our community is here to support you. Consider this your metabolic holiday companion: rooted in science, grounded in lived experience, and designed to help you celebrate with intention.
Meaghan Reardon: Staying Steady, Not Perfect
For Meaghan Reardon, a registered dietitian at Dr. Chris Palmer’s MH² clinic, the holiday season is less a test of willpower and more a test of structure. “The holidays are often a tricky season and not because people lack commitment,” she says, “but really because everything around them fundamentally changes for a few days, a few weeks even.”
Many of her clients have spent months building a stable routine—one that supports metabolic healing and emotional well-being. But suddenly, they’re traveling, staying up late, eating at unusual times, and skipping meals. “This kind of instability has direct impacts on their cravings, their mood, their metabolic control.”
The second big challenge? Social pressure. “People don’t want to be a complicated eater at the table,” Meaghan notes. “They don’t want to feel guilty turning down food someone made with love or is an old family recipe.” Too often, choices are made not out of desire, but out of a fear of disappointing others, or triggering uncomfortable conversations.
Then there’s the environment itself: a seasonal swirl of sugar, refined carbs, and nostalgia. “You can walk into a room feeling grounded, but then suddenly you’re surrounded by foods that hit all of these comforting reward pathways that can make it harder to stay connected to longer-term goals.”
The most powerful disruptor, though, may be mindset. “Someone has a moment where maybe they eat something off-plan, and instead of treating it as just one data point, they spiral, thinking, now I’ve blown it, so to heck with all this.”
Her approach is to name these predictable challenges out loud because once people see them clearly, they’re no longer surprises. “They feel a lot more capable of navigating this season and doing it with intention.”
Instead of striving for perfection, Meaghan urges clients to focus on stability. “Metabolic stability doesn’t require flawless execution—but it does require consistency. Whether that’s in meal timing, protein intake, healthy fats, hydration, sleep. If we can get these anchors to stay mostly intact, then the system holds.”
She encourages clients to reconnect with their “why”—not for restriction’s sake, but for alignment. “When someone can say, I feel calmer, I sleep better, my mood is more stable when I stay on this diet—that internal motivation is way more powerful than trying to resist a cookie out of willpower.”
Robyn Dobbins: Navigating the Holidays with Support and Self-Priority
Robyn Dobbins is a certified peer coach and Community Coordinator at Metabolic Collective who supports individuals using ketogenic therapy to manage serious mental health conditions, including her own. With lived experience navigating bipolar disorder, depression, and OCD through a low-carb lifestyle, Robyn now leads others on their healing journeys, emphasizing the importance of connection, compassion, and informed choice.
For many of the people Robyn works with, the holidays aren’t just filled with sugar and temptations, they’re filled with pressure. “It’s hard enough as it is to choose to eat differently than most everyone around you just on a normal basis.” But the holidays, Robyn highlights, can make it even more challenging to place your health over people pleasing.
“People struggle with prioritizing themselves, and they all want to be people pleasers. So when somebody comes up and says, ‘Oh hey, you can have just this one bite,’ it’s hard for them to prioritize their goals in that moment while they’re faced with someone handing them something.”
That’s where Robyn’s coaching practice comes in. “My practice is very community-focused,” she says. “I host a small group of individuals who meet regularly in a chat group, and then once a week on a Zoom call.” The connection is ongoing and responsive—“anytime, there’s no time of day that we couldn’t just pop a message on there like, ‘I’m struggling,’ and somebody else from the group would answer and say, ‘Hey, let me help you. Let me be here for you.’”
This kind of support can be especially important during the holidays, when others in your physical circle might not understand your needs or goals. “The people who we are closest to physically aren’t often on the same journey as we are on,” Robyn explains. “So it’s very important to find members that understand what you’re going through, have been through it themselves, or are actually struggling along with you while you help each other navigate these situations.”
But she also meets clients where they are. “While it’s very important to me to maintain my goals during the holiday season and any time, it’s not always important to my clients, and I have to be respectful of that and their decisions.”
Sometimes, that means having the pie, and doing it consciously. “Some people are in a situation where they’re faced [with] Grandma’s favorite famous pie, and they’re not gonna live a life where they don’t have a piece of that. And that is something that we need to consider.”
Rather than moralizing the moment, Robyn works with clients to prepare for it. “We often talk about the consequences of those choices and how we’re gonna handle the consequences.” For some, that might mean simple strategies to soften the impact: “It could be as easy as, ‘I’m gonna drink a cup of coffee with it so that it takes that sweetness away.’” For others, it might involve a longer recovery plan.
But the core message is one of empowerment. “We are capable of making those choices. That it’s not up to anyone else to decide for us.” Even if someone strays from their plan, Robyn reminds them they’re never starting from scratch. “We know that we can make changes if we go off plan. That we can get it back fairly quickly.”
At the heart of Robyn’s philosophy is both realism and radical self-respect: honoring your autonomy while being equipped with the tools, and the community, to keep moving forward.
Steven T.: Discipline as Protection, Not Restriction
Steven T. is a metabolic mental health advocate, coach, and content creator who uses ketogenic therapy to manage symptoms of bipolar disorder and support his daughter’s healing from ADHD and OCD. Known to many as “the proud father of The Keto Kid, Samantha,” Steven leads with both passion and precision—combining deep personal experience with disciplined structure and empowering education. His message: metabolic therapy is not a diet. It’s a medical intervention for the brain.
“My approach around holidays is first determining, what’s the goal here? What is your main focus? What are you trying to preserve?” Whether it’s mental clarity, metabolic stability, or a sense of emotional balance, “once your plan matches your purpose and you reconnect to your why, you can step into the holidays with purpose instead of pressure.”
That clarity, Steven says, starts with mindset. And one of the most powerful reframes is simple: “Discipline is not restriction. It is protection. You are not missing out. You are choosing your mind over temporary pleasure.”
He’s seen how even small social cues—“just one bite”—can feel harmless but carry consequences. “For those of us using metabolic therapy for our mental health, just one bite isn’t a bite. It’s a biochemical decision with consequences.”
And when emotions run high around tradition, grief, or family dynamics? “Emotional eating is just a flare that is signaling unmet needs in your brain or your body. It’s not a reason to sabotage your brain.”
To Steven, preparing for the holidays means both mental and metabolic readiness. “Plan your plate before the event begins,” he advises. “Decide in advance what you’re eating. Better yet, track it in an app the day before… All your decision fatigue will disappear. You just stick to that script that you made for yourself ahead of time.”
Whether it’s fasting, anchoring with fat in the morning, or bringing your own keto dishes to share, Steven’s emphasis is always the same: “Protect your brain. Protect your stability. Protect your peace.”
And if something doesn’t go as planned? “Now if you slip, correct it. Do not collapse. One bad meal is not a failure. It’s data collecting. Fix the next one. Just make the next one better.”
As a father, he also brings compassion to the structure he builds for his daughter. “Kids in general, they thrive on structure even when everything around them is chaotic. Predictability is the real gift.”
When it comes to honoring your needs—even if that means walking away from a table or stepping outside to reset—Steven reminds us, “Having boundaries during the holidays is not rude. It’s responsible.”
And when you need something to hold onto, he offers a mantra from his own life: “I fuel my fire. I protect my flame. Nothing on that table is worth losing my calm mind.”
Holiday Recipes You’ll Love, Without the Metabolic Mayhem
The holiday season can test even the most committed metabolic routines, but with the right tools and a little inspiration you don’t have to choose between celebration and stability. These festive, brain-friendly recipes come from members of our community who are deeply committed to metabolic healing, both professionally and personally.
Accord: Restoring Health from the Cell Up
Founded in 2024 by psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Accord was born from both professional disillusionment and personal transformation. After two decades in practice and years spent helping two of his own children recover from debilitating psychiatric and physical symptoms, Dr. Bernstein realized that traditional approaches often overlook the root causes of illness. His search led to a deep dive into cellular biology, nutritional psychiatry, and metabolic therapies, eventually culminating in Accord, a program designed to restore cognition, energy, and daily functioning at the cellular level.
Today, Accord offers immersive, science-backed care that goes far beyond symptom management. And that same ethos, compassionate, whole-person support, extends into their kitchen, too.
Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake Fat Bombs
If you’re looking for a festive keto-friendly treat that delivers major holiday vibes without knocking you out of ketosis, these Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake Fat Bombs are about to become your new favorite. They’re creamy, cool, chocolatey, and perfectly portioned.
Keto Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
If you’re craving comfort food without the carb crash, this Cheesy Broccoli Casserole checks every box. It’s rich, creamy, perfectly savory, and packed with all the cozy flavors you want in a winter dish, while still staying totally keto-friendly.
For even more holiday tricks, tips, and keto-friendly swaps, download the free Ketogenic Holiday Survival Guide from our friends at Accord, created by dietitian Meghan Stein, RDN. It’s packed with practical, compassionate tools to help you navigate holiday meals with confidence—including keto-friendly swaps, hydration and alcohol tips, and a sample meal plan.
Keto Made Easy from Dad’s Keto Kitchen
Christian Leatham, owner, chef, certified keto and carnivore coach, and actual dad, makes low-carb living simple and sustainable. After reversing sleep apnea, joint pain, and weight gain through a ketogenic lifestyle, he turned his personal transformation into a platform to help others. Now a member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, Christian shares easy, family-friendly recipes that support real healing, without the overwhelm. His philosophy is simple: keto doesn’t have to be complicated to change your life, and these delicious recipes are proof.
Keto “Sugar” Cookie
Cookie ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup Swerve granular
- 2 eggs
- 2 droppers of sugar cookie (OOO flavors)
Glaze ingredients:
- 1 cup Swerve confectioners
- 8 tbsp coconut milk
- ½ dropper of vanilla OOO flavors
Instructions:
- Mix all wet ingredients together until smooth, then add dry ingredients.
- Use a small scoop per cookie and press down with a fork.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with Swerve confectioners as soon as they come out of the oven or drizzle with icing after they are cool.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Pie ingredients:
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup Swerve confectioners
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp gingerbread spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp ginger extract
Filling ingredients:
- 1 cup HWC (heavy whipping cream)
- 1 tbsp Simply Delish vanilla pudding
- 2 tbsp Swerve confectioners
- 1 ½ tsp gingerbread spice
Instructions:
- Mix all pie ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Use a small scoop and a whoopie pie pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
- For the filling: Mix HWC and whip until firm, then add other ingredients and mix until well combined.
- After pies are cooled, fill with one small scoop of filling.
Gingerbread Cookie
Ingredients:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup Swerve granular
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp gingerbread spice
- ½ tbsp ginger extract
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients until well combined.
- Scoop 24 cookies onto a cookie sheet and press flat.
- Sprinkle with powdered Swerve and make a design on top of cookie with cookie press.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 325°F.
Carnivore Confidence: Jenny’s Journey & Holiday Favorites
Jenny Mitich, known as Carnivore Jenny, has used the Carnivore Diet to lose over 50 pounds and radically improve her metabolic health. Now a full-time content creator, she helps thousands transition to a carnivore lifestyle through practical education, mindset shifts, and her own N of 1 experiments. A passionate advocate for self-tracking and taking charge of your numbers, Jenny empowers others with relatable, science-backed content and personal experience. For more easy and delicious carnivore recipes, check out her highly anticipated new cookbook, Complete Carnivore, available wherever books are sold.
Carnivore Turkey Alfredo
Looking for a creative way to use up leftover holiday turkey? Jenny Mitich’s Carnivore Turkey Alfredo is rich, satisfying, and fully carnivore, though you’d never guess it. The “noodles” are made from Carnivore Crepes sliced into strips, giving the dish a pasta-like feel with none of the carbs. It’s a comforting, restaurant-quality meal that comes together fast, making it perfect for busy nights after the holiday rush.
Carnivore Bread for Turkey Sandwiches
Chaffles are one of the easiest low-carb staples to keep on hand. Jenny likes to batch-make them for quick, satisfying sandwiches straight from the fridge. Switch up the cheeses or add different seasonings to keep things interesting, each version is uniquely delicious and endlessly versatile. Use as a bread alternative at holiday dinners or for a delicious leftover turkey sandwich.
This season, we hope you feel supported, not just by the science, but by a growing community of people walking a similar path. Whether it’s a mindset shift that brings clarity, a recipe that keeps you grounded, or a moment of connection that reminds you you’re not alone, every tool shared here is meant to help you stay steady, nourished, and empowered.
From all of us at Metabolic Mind, thank you to our contributors, Meaghan, Robyn, Steven, Christian, and Jenny, for sharing your wisdom, stories, and recipes. Watch the full expert video montage, explore more community resources, and remember: metabolic healing doesn’t pause for the holidays and neither does your power to protect it.
