Santa’s running an All-Night Marathon: the nutrition plan he really needs to get round the world
- Joanne Hart
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Joanne Hart, Health and Hart. Registered Nutritional Therapist BSc (Hons)
Nutritionist to Santa
Santa doesn’t just fly — he's running a marathon in one night
We all imagine Santa cruising in his sleigh, but realistically he’s doing an ultra-endurance event: no sleep, high stress, cold temperatures, endless sprints up and down chimneys. If anyone needs a personalised nutrition strategy, it’s him.
And lucky for him he booked a nutrition consultation with me and I was able to show him how nutritional therapy and functional medicine shine.
How we got started
We started with a bit of goal setting and health coaching. Santa wants 'to get through Christmas eve with energy, minimum digestive issues and be able to enjoy the rest of Christmas Day and Boxing Day without colds and sleeping all day'. Then I asked Santa lots of questions about his health, medications, lifestyle and food, all based around functional medicine and how the different body systems work together.
Food: steady energy, no sugar crash
Santa can’t rely on mince pies and sherry. He needs slow-burning carbs, balanced protein and fats to keep his energy stable for 24 hours.
A realistic Santa fuelling plan would include:
• Oats, nuts, berries and yoghurt before take-off
• Balanced meals every few hours to avoid blood-sugar dips
• Easy-to-digest carbs in his sleigh: Bananas, dates, rice cakes with a few nuts for fibre and protein
Digestion: keeping the system calm
The mix of stress, cold weather and constant movement isn’t kind to his gut. Santa is already susceptible to a bit of IBS and this time of the year his digestion goes wild!
I've suggested ginger or peppermint tea to soothe the symptoms, a tailored probiotic and tailored prebiotic supplements based on the results of the digestive test he did with me last month. These all aim to keep his gut microbiome resilient.
We talked about eating vegetables each day to provide fibre and anti-inflammatory benefits. If he's going to eat some sweet Christmas food he's going to make sure he has his kefir and vegetables that day too.
Hydration: cold weather dehydration is sneaky
Flying through sub-zero air is dehydrating so Santa is going to make use of some electrolytes. He sweats so much in that suit. He knows that he just needs electrolytes and will look past the brands with artificial sweeteners and added carbohydrates.
His nose is always running too, he itches a lot and he's feeling a bit irritated. We're wondering if this is all the mulled wine causing increasing levels of histamine. He's going to try a bit less red wine and add in some red onions, B vitamins, and quercetin to manage the symptoms for now.
Sleep: no time to snooze, so preparation matters
He can’t sleep on Christmas Eve, so sleep before the event matters and he's going to aim for early nights. He's seen those mushroom gummies on Christmas lists but we've agreed they're a bit extravagant and have a lot of sugar. He's going back to tradition and will have a reliable magnesium glycinate supplement each evening and make sure he winds down with a meditation.
Immune support: because the man visits every house on earth
He’s exposed to every child’s cold, cough and mystery December virus. Much of the immune system is in the gut so he knows to look after that and after a vitamin D test we can see he needs more (even though the doctor said he'd be ok with the multivitamin). He's got some vitamin C, zinc and some elderberry too, just to do everything he can.
Scientific testing: knowing Santa inside out
Two months before the big night, Santa had extensive testing to tailor his plan precisely:
Blood panels to check iron, B12, folate and ferritin for his energy. Vitamin D for his bone and immunity, and inflammation markers. We checked HbA1c and he's in the pre diabetes range too. Cholesterol needs some focus and we'll start on those two in January to create some practical ideas.
Gut function and microbiome test to support his IBS and prevent flare-ups, and support his short and longer term health
Recovery: what Santa does on Boxing Day
Once he’s finished the ultimate endurance challenge, his body needs repair.
Ideal recovery:
Protein-rich breakfast with some wholegrains E.g. Egg on wholegrain toast?
Rehydration
A gentle walk
Anti-inflammatory foods: berries, leafy greens, oily fish
A good nap
A good Christmas meal as life is to enjoy!
Where this links to what I do
Santa’s big night is a fun example but the principles are exactly what I use with clients:
We start with an investigation - health form, food diary, conversation. The outcome of this will be some actions to get started with and perhaps tests to dig into underlying issues. Sometimes we add in supplements at this stage.
Topics can include:
• Energy support for long working hours or heavy training
• Functional testing for digestion, hormones and stress load
• Personalised nutrition plans for performance, recovery, IBS or gout management
• Immune support, gut health, sleep, supplements and lifestyle tweaks
Be more Santa, send me a message through the contact page and I'll be in touch in January
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