Christmas is the season of indulgence, which means those who have been on a health kick recently and signed up to a meal prep delivery service in London to make sure they are getting nutritious healthy food can find it very difficult to resist temptation.
However, there are some things Brits who do not want to undo all their hard work losing weight and getting healthier can do to avoid putting on weight over the holiday season. That way they can feel confident and fit as they enter the New Year.
Here are a few food swaps for Christmas Day, so you can still enjoy the flavours you love most about Christmas without the extra calories.
– Healthy roast dinner
Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a roast dinner, but you don’t need all the fatty trimmings to enjoy it. Turkey is actually a lean choice, with less saturated fat than beef or lamb, as long as you remove the skin.
The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) suggests brushing potatoes with olive oil and flavouring them with herbs or spices. Alternatively, you could have boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes and use low-fat milk instead of butter.
To avoid eating the reported 6,000 calories us Brits devour on December 25th, according to research by Wren Kitchens, you can skip all the trimmings like Yorkshire puddings, bread sauce, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pigs in blankets.
This will ensure you won’t have to walk 21.5 hours on Boxing Day to burn off all the excess calories!
However, if you can’t do without the trimmings, at least make them healthier. BNF recommends having grilled chicken rather than pigs in blankets, and making stuffing with chestnuts, onion, herbs and rice or wholemeal breadcrumbs in place of one with sausage meat.
– Christmas desserts
Instead of Christmas cake, pudding, biscuits, Panettone, Yule loge, and Stollen, as well as an obscene amount of chocolates and biscuits, why not stick to just one festive dessert so you can enjoy a sweet treat without feeling like you’re missing out.
What’s more, you can enjoy a healthier version so you can eat it guilt-free. Heart Matters has a low-fat Christmas cake recipe, which includes mixed dried fruit, dates, mixed spice, banana, herbal tea, polenta, egg whites and just a splash of brandy or dry sherry.
Each portion of this cake is 197 calories, which is considerably lower than the 365 calories a 100g serving of traditional Christmas cake is. One tip to save calories is to remove the marzipan and icing, as well as avoid the fatty sauces, such as brandy butter, cream or ice-cream.
Instead, you could use yoghurt or crème-fraiche if you want something on top. Improvement Zone says this can cut 28 calories and 1.3 grams of fat from your intake.
– Nibbles
While most of us enjoy a hearty late lunch on Christmas Day, this doesn’t stop us reaching for the salty nibbles later on in the evening. From cheese straws, crisps and peanuts to platters of cheese and pate, we can eat hundreds more calories just by grazing on snacks.
To avoid this, Glamour Magazine suggests swapping crisps for pretzels, saving around 40 calories per 25g serving. Alternatively, you could opt for breadsticks or vegetable crudities in hummus for a healthier option.
By making these simple changes, you can still enjoy some Christmas treats without putting on as much weight as you would otherwise.