Did you know we consume as much as three times our recommended daily calorie intake on Christmas day? But it’s not all doom and gloom…
Although the traditional Christmas dinner gets a bad rep, it’s actually a pretty healthy meal if we strip it back to the bare bones. We just need to be careful of how much we have.
Portion control: Everything looks so tasty that you want to have it all. Do, but only have a little of each. Don’t pile your plate upwards. Try to think about the size of your stomach and be kind to it – don’t stretch it too much!
Avoid skin on turkey: The white meat is best – such as the breast. The skin has a high fat content and most likely salt if you added it, so avoid.
Go light with the sauces: Sauces not only add flavour, but also salt, sugar and calories. Go easy on gravies, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and red current jelly.
Eat slowly: The more slowly you eat, the easier it will be to tell when you’re full so that you avoid that horrible ‘I can’t move’ feeling.
Drink slowly: The slower you drink you wine, the less likely someone is to top it up and the less you’ll drink.
Go for a walk between lunch and pudding: Allow some time for your meal to digest. The walk will also help to stabilise your blood sugar levels and should help to wake you up a little. Plus, the later you have pudding, the less likely you are to snack later on.
Hopefully these tips will help to reduce the guilt associated with Christmas day. Make sure you enjoy yourself and don’t restrict yourself too much – it only happens for one day each year after all!