Experts Debate: Should You Get a ‘Free Pass’ on Holiday Eating?

When it comes to healthy nutrition habits, most experts agree overall patterns matter most for long-term health, body composition and performance. One meal might make you feel sluggish or energized, lean or bloated — but in and of themselves single meals don’t mean a whole lot in the big picture.

It begs the question in the season of indulgence: If single meals are only so important in the larger scheme of healthy eating patterns, can you eat whatever you want at a holiday meal?

Here, experts debate the idea of a ‘free pass.’