Christmas and New Year

Christmas and New Year - tis' the season!

The festive season can help remind us about the joy of sharing food, spending time with friends and family, and the importance of including those who may otherwise be spending Christmas alone – but central to most of our Christmases is festive foods and drinks!

However, we also know that the indulgent foods we tend to eat between the office parties, through Christmas day, to the celebrations over New Year, that that the festive period can be somewhat of a challenging time to eat well.

Research shows that with the extra calories consumed across all the celebrations during the festive season, we can gain on average around 1kg (roughly 2lbs). But don't worry, it is possible to eat, drink and be merry without over doing it!

Party season - a time to have fun and enjoy! 

Indulge but not overindulge?

Whether it is a work function, an evening with friends, or catching up with family members, we often do a lot of celebrating over the festive season. The work Christmas ‘do’, for example, is often one of the highlights of the work calendar. However with alcohol and canapés a-plenty, many additional calories may be consumed – as you can see from the calories of the nibbles below, it can be easy to eat the equivalent calories of a full meal just from all the party food and drinks available!

So, a little forward planning and making some good food choices can help to make your party season that little bit healthier.

Below we suggest some lower calorie swaps for party nibbles:

Source: McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods 2015 and retail data

Below we have suggested some tips for before, during and after the party!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day can be about fun, family and festive cheer – and more often than not, lots of indulgent food and drinks!

Media reports suggest we can eat a staggering 6,000kcal (25,104kJ) on Christmas day, that’s three times the recommended daily intake for women and over two times for men. Surprised?

Here is an example of what this can look like:

We recognise that Christmas day is one for us all to enjoy, without worrying too much about indulging. But if you did want to try and make Christmas day little bit healthier, here are a few things you could try. Do not forget you can use these tips too on Boxing Day, New Year and all the days in between…

Christmas day breakfast

Breakfast can help to get the day off to a good start. It a good source of energy and essential nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

So, whether the family are ripping open presents or prepping vegetables in the kitchen, remember to take a little time to tuck into a healthy breakfast too. Do not forget it could be a long time before the main meal is served, so a healthy festive breakfast may help to reduce the tendency to snack until then.

Here are some suggestions:

• Add fresh fruit such as grated apple or pear, segments of satsuma or sliced banana to your favourite wholegrain cereal or porridge. To make breakfast a little bit festive, why not sprinkle on some cinnamon, a handful of nuts or dried traditional fruit such as cranberries, dates or figs. Both fresh and dried fruit count towards your 5 A DAY!
• You could cook scrambled or poached eggs or even an omelette, and for a bit of luxury, add trimmings of smoked salmon with chopped chives and serve on wholemeal toast. Add tomato, avocado and/or mushrooms on the side for a bit of veg!
• Try a festive mix of fresh orange juice and sparkling water. Cheers!

Christmas snacks

We are surrounded by tasty snacks at Christmas that can tempt us to eat when we are not really hungry. To help with making snacking that bit healthier:

• Have lots of healthier snacks like fruit, unsalted nuts, vegetable sticks with plain yogurt and herbs, and other dips (try to choose those lower in fat, salt and sugar) to hand.
• You could choose to keep the chocolates and candy canes off the tree this year – instead have smaller portions of chocolate and sweet treats and serve them only occasionally. 
• As an alternative snack, try small slices of fruity breads (like malt loaf) and some dried fruit (such as figs) or seasonal fresh fruits (like pears, clementines).

The main event

Whether you call it Christmas dinner or Christmas lunch, here are some top tips to make it a little bit healthier, but still delicious of course! 

The meat:

• Before cooking the turkey, prick the skin to allow the fat to run out and cook the bird on a wire rack or an upturned ovenproof plate so it is not sitting in fat all the time.
• The skin on turkey or goose is where most of the fat is so remove before eating to reduce saturated fat and calories from your meat. Light meat has fewer calories than dark meat.

The stuffing:

• Instead of using sausage meat stuffing, why not replace with a chestnut, nut or fruit-based version (dried fruit works well and there are plenty of recipes online).

The potatoes:

• Try cutting your potatoes bigger for roasting - larger pieces absorb less fat during roasting (this also applies to parsnips). Parboil them first and then finish off in the oven!
• Traditionally, animal fats like lard or goose fat are used on roast potatoes – for a healthier alternative, why not try vegetable oils like olive or rapeseed, as they are lower in saturated fats and higher in unsaturated fats. They still go crispy!
• Swap half of your regular potatoes for sweet potatoes, as an alternative that can contribute towards your 5 A DAY.
• If you leave the skins on your potatoes, you can up your fibre intake for the day.

The veg:

• Serve a variety of vegetables, as different types provide different essential nutrients!
• Vegetables are what we call low-energy density foods – so you can eat lots for relatively few calories (provided they are not covered in fats like butter). Use chopped fresh herbs or lemon zest instead to add flavour. Try caraway with your carrots, or nutmeg with your Brussels sprouts for a deliciously Christmassy taste!
• Try steaming vegetables rather than boiling, as steaming retains more of the vitamins.
• Use the cooking water from the vegetables to make the gravy, as this will contain some of the vitamins from the vegetables.

The gravy and sauces:

• To make low-fat gravy, pour the turkey juices into a jug, wait for the fat to rise to the surface and carefully pour or spoon off the fat. You can then use the remaining juices to make gravy!
• Use low-salt stock cubes for gravy and try to limit salt added at the table – your food will still taste delicious without it!
• Make bread sauce with skimmed milk, and add garlic, nutmeg, cloves and a bay leaf to the milk for extra flavour – you do not need any salt to make it tasty!

The dessert:

• Christmas pudding and other festive desserts can be delicious, but also very rich – why not opt for a small portion and add additional fruit for a 5 A DAY contribution.

Our top 10 nutritious Christmas foods

Christmas food can often be thought of as quite unhealthy and indulgent, particularly on Christmas day! But in fact, some of the foods traditionally eaten around the festive season can be very nutritious!

Below we give you 10 top Christmas foods that fit well into a healthy, balanced diet!

1. Brussels sprouts

Love them or hate them, Brussel sprouts are are a good source of vitamin C and folate. They also provide fibre, which is needed to keep the gut healthy. Having a portion (80g) of these vegetables with your Christmas dinner will count as one of your 5 A DAY! Why not have two portions!

How to make Brussel sprouts delicious!

Some of us really do not like sprouts - but this is maybe because we are used to eating them over-boiled. But there are loads of tasty recipes you could try to make them more enjoyable! Why not cut them in half, par boil, and roast with some flavour sensations…

• Chestnuts and nutmeg spice
• Pecan and dried cranberries
• Pistachios and pomegranate seeds
• Hazelnuts and orange zest
• Garlic, chilli and lemon zest and juice

2. Carrots

Carrots are a good source of beta carotene which our bodies make into vitamin A - important for normal vision and a healthy immune system. They also provide fibre like Brussel sprouts and 80g can count as one of your 5 A DAY! Put plenty on your plate or maybe try serving carrots two different ways, instead of just one!

3. Chestnuts 

Chestnuts are in season over the winter months and are perfect added to stuffing, soups and sauces, and always sit well with Brussel sprouts! They are also a source of fibre and naturally low in saturated fat, as well as provide potassium which can contribute to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

4. Clementines, satsumas and tangerines

Clementines, satsumas and tangerines are all a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for our immune system so having enough in our diet is important to help keep us well for the big day and over the winter period!

5. Cranberries

Fresh or frozen cranberries are packed with vitamin C! But because they are tart, cranberry products often have added sugar. So why not make your own cranberry sauce? This way you can control how much sugar you add.

For another festive cranberry idea, why not combine freshly squeezed orange juice with no added sugar cranberry juice!

6. Dates and figs

We typically associate dried fruits with Christmas. Dried figs and dates are good sources of fibre and are great chopped and added to cereal or porridge. Dried figs provide potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium and do not forget dried fruit can count towards your 5 A DAY – three dried dates or two dried figs count as one portion!

7. Nuts and nut roast

There are so many delicious types of nuts! They can be eaten as a snack on Christmas day, or added to your breakfast, desserts or even the vegetables! Nuts can also be used in a nut roast for vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike!

Nut roasts provide a rich variety of nutrients, including potassium, iron, zinc, B vitamins and folate, and vitamin E. They are also a good source of monounsaturated fats, which can be good for our heart health when they replace saturated fats in the diet.

If you are trying to manage your weight, remember nuts can be high in calories, so try to eat in moderation and avoid those with added salt or sugar.

8. Roast potatoes & parsnips

There is no way it could be Christmas without some roasties!

In the UK, potatoes make a good contribution to our potassium and vitamin C intakes. Leave the skins on for more fibre, and roast using an unsaturated fat!

Parsnips are also a good source of fibre, manganese and folic acid – and are a great addition to roast potatoes!

9. Salmon

Salmon provides long-chain omega-3 fats which are important for heart health. If you are having smoked salmon, it is high in salt, so try to eat in moderation.

10. Turkey

Turkey is a good source of protein, and without the skin, it is low in fat. It is also a source of B vitamins (vitamins B6 and B12) which helps to support a healthy immune system.

Christmas drinks - our top tips!

Over the festivities, some of us will have quite a few alcoholic drinks with friends, family and work colleagues!

So it is good to remind ourselves of the government recommendations!

What are the guidelines?

In 2016, the Department of Health updated the guidelines for alcohol consumption and now recommends no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women. If you do drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread this evenly over three days or more (rather than having one or two heavy drinking sessions).

Alcohol may not only stimulate your appetite, but also may weaken the resolve not to over-indulge, so any good intentions you might have about eating sensibly may be lost once you have had a few glasses!

Holding back the hangover

Many cures for hangovers have been suggested, but there is little scientific evidence to support them.

The best piece of advice to avoid a hangover is of course not to drink too much alcohol or get drunk, but this this can be difficult over the festivities!

If you do think you might over-indulge, try the following tips to limit your intake and reduce the effects of a hangover, whether you are at home or when you are out.

For more information on alcohol and how to check your units see this NHS page.

For those not consuming any alcoholic drinks, there are still some tips that can be followed for healthier hydration:

• Sugar-sweetened soft drinks can be damaging for teeth, for adults and children, and on average are high contributors of sugars in our diet. So try to limit the consumption of these.
• Why not choose low calorie versions, alternative with water, or have something like soda water and lime instead!
• If choosing to make ‘mocktails’ – try to opt for low-calorie soft drinks as the mixers or use sparkling water and 100% fruit juice!
• It is still important for those not drinking alcohol to stay hydrated – we should be aiming for 6-8 glasses of fluid a day – so do not forget to drink water. Why not use a re-usable bottle and keep filling up!

For some more information on healthy hydration see our pages on this topic.