For anyone watching their weight, Christmas can be a nightmare. Copious amounts of chocolate, cheese and alcohol are massive elements of the festive season. However, there are healthy alternatives. You can’t expect yourself to not have a treat over the holidays, but this should help you so you can feel better about those indulges.
When dishing out your dinner, opt for a smaller plate to control your portion sizes. A full small plate looks nicer than a half empty large one!
Breakfast
We all know that this is the most important meal of the day, however some people are tempted to skip breakfast so they can have more calories later. Keep yourself healthy by having some protein such as eggs, and some fruit. Having breakfast will prevent you from feeling hungry when you’re surrounded by chocolate sharing tins.
Christmas dinner
When loading up your plate, go for the healthy options first. That way you’ll have less room for more calorific items such as Yorkshire puddings! You don’t need to completely deprive yourself of these items, go for the smallest one or see if someone would want to share one with you.
Potatoes
They are a staple to the roast dinner. But when one serving of them is 149 calories, they aren’t exactly healthy. You don’t have to get rid of potatoes, instead of roasting them, boil them. One serving of boiled new potatoes contains 86 calories.
Vegetables
This is the ingredient you can have a lot of and not feel guilty. Filling up on vegetables is the best way to avoid cravings for the less healthy options. Make sure to include plenty of carrots, broccoli, and the Christmas favourite, sprouts.
Turkey
Thankfully, Christmas is time for turkey. When it comes to meat, it doesn’t get much better than this. White meat is a lot leaner than others, 3 ounces of turkey breast contains 6 grams of fat and 24 grams of protein. If you remove the skin, there is 114 calories in 3 ounces of roast turkey and 159 if you leave it on.
Snacks
Put all unhealthy snacks away, if anyone wants one, they have to go and get it. You’ll be less tempted to have something if it isn’t right in front of you. Have lots of fruit, or a handful of nuts.
Drinks
Christmas is a popular time for alcohol. If you can, try to avoid it. If not, stick to the “healthier” options. Have vodka, lime and soda instead of lemonade. Try to avoid wine and beer, both are high in sugar and are empty calories.
Foods to avoid…
- Pigs in blankets – When you think of Christmas, you think of tiny sausages wrapped in bacon. They might be delicious but both meats are processed and high in fat. Per 100g they contain 281 calories and 20g of fat.
- Mince pies – You know it’s Christmas when you find yourself buying mince pies in bulk. At 289 calories per pie, these may be something worth cutting back on. To make matters worse, their sugar content per pie is 28g. If you really can’t fight the cravings save some calories by making your own.
- Christmas log – It seems like all the important foods are making an appearance on this list, but yes unfortunately a chocolate cake smothered in icing is not healthy. 467 calories per 100g.
- Roast potatoes – As mentioned earlier, potatoes on their own aren’t so bad. However, roasting them in fat adds some significant calories. 149 calories per serving might not seem like a lot, but paired with your Christmas dinner it adds up. Try boiling some new potatoes for a healthier option.