How To Make Healthy Choices During Christmas

As I’m sure you’re aware, Christmas is just around the corner. 

And with Christmas comes extra extravagance – more parties, advent calendars, extra sweet treats, a few too many drinks… 

If this seems a bit little scary, rest assured. There are plenty of ways you can embrace the Christmas cheer while still being mindful of what you eat! Today I’ll discuss three practical tips to make healthy choices around the silly season. 

Manage Expectations

So there’s an expectation around Christmas that we go a little bit… ham with our portion sizes. Whether it’s six slices of turkey, seven flutes of champagne, or eight ‘miniature’ dessert servings (because who can say no to Grandma’s homemade Christmas pudding? No one, that’s who).

Therefore, it’s important to remember that Christmas is one day of the year – one out of 365 – one special occasion, to overindulge with family and friends and potentially face the consequences of a hangover the next day.

However, what we don’t want to happen is an overindulgence in overindulging. This can be a little bit tricky with the 36 Christmas parties all crammed into one tiny month. To combat this, we need to use our internal willpower and listen to that little angel on our left shoulder. This will involve:

• Saying YES to one plate of food
• Saying YES to one or two standard drinks 
• Saying YES to a serve of Christmas pudding (and really enjoying it) 

Plan Your Portions

Let’s apply the KISS principle (not the mistletoe one). Keep it simple stupid. When planning your plate, I want you to consider four things.

• Veggies. Is half of your plate covered with vegetables or a salad?
• Protein. Have you got a palm-sized portion of protein? Feel free to mix & match here, as I’m sure there’s more than just turkey at the table.
• Carbohydrate. The rest of your plate (a quarter) should be a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates include potato, bread, pasta and rice. 
• Alcohol. If it is Christmas day and you’re not driving, drink responsibly. If it’s not Christmas day, try to limit your drinks to two. 

Consider Bringing A Healthy Share Plate

Nowadays, it’s easy to prepare healthy meals for Christmas. For main, meat dishes, like turkey, glazed ham or a roast are a great source of protein. This can be easily paired with a leafy green salad wand a wholegrain carbohydrate.

For dessert, you can whip up a fruit salad! It’s generally a staple at many Christmas events and adds a pop of colour to the table. 

Again, I want to reiterate that Christmas is once a year. Therefore, try not to stress out if you eat slightly more than you normally would. For the most part, act mindfully, eat appropriate portions and thank your loved one for the delicious Christmas pudding they brought along.