Fabulous Christmas Food

One of the best things about Christmas is the food! The planning that goes into Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day can happen weeks before. When else in the year do we spend so much time planning our meals?!

But how should we plan our meals? Based on taste, flavour, health…? A healthy Christmas meal sounds boring I hear you cry, so we have picked out our favourite, fabulous Christmas foods for you!

Sprouts

Classic Christmas, you love or hate them! Packed full of Vitamin C (even more vitamin C than an orange!), fibre and of course low in calories, so pile them high on your plate!

Red cabbage

A fabulous colour addition to your plate, again low in calories, high in fibre and a great addition to your 5 a day. If you braise your red cabbage with spices like cinnamon, it is even tastier.

Turkey

The main event. Good source of lean protein, zinc, selenium and vitamin B6. The breast meat is lower in fat and avoid the skin as this is high in saturated fat.

Nuts

A cheeky snack. Get the whole ones in the shells (Almonds, Walnuts, Brazil, Hazelnuts) so it takes hard work and time to crack it open and eat one! Great source of essential fats, fibre and protein, but remember they are high in calories so stick to no more than a handful at a time.

Satsumas

Perfect stocking fillers. A lovely sweet low-calorie alternative to chocolate, that won’t ruin your appetite for dinner!

Fish, Smoked Salmon, Prawns

Perfect for starters or smoked salmon for breakfast. High in protein, a great source of essential fats and omega 3 oils.

Roasted Sweet Potato

A tasty alternative to normal potatoes and counts as one of your 5 a day!

Tips to the Avoid Overeating

Have fruit or fish as a starter – melon, grapefruit or prawns with salad leaves are tasty options and not too filling.
Choose a small portion to start with. You can always go back for some more but you may actually feel fuller than expected.
Fill your plate with vegetables before adding the higher fat roast potatoes and trimmings as you are likely to add fewer calories.
We all love a tin of chocolates at Christmas but to avoid the temptation of eating the whole tub, get a few out and keep the rest in the cupboard.
Have a sugar-free soft drink between any alcoholic drinks to avoid drinking too much alcohol and consuming lots of calories. A jug of water on the table is a good option.
Instead of putting out crisps and vol-au-vents, prior to your meal, cut up lots of raw vegetables to make crudities to have with a dip.

Remember to enjoy your Christmas food but be mindful, if you feel full stop eating and don’t eat just because it is there. Your waistline will thank you for it in January.