HealthOnTrack

The festive season is a joyous affair but overindulgence in food and drink is a common occurrence. Opt for a healthy Christmas dinner this year and by enjoying everything in moderation you will not only enjoy the festive season more, but begin the New Year without an extra five pounds. Follow our top tips for Christmas dinners and the festive season and enjoy a healthy end to the year.

• The most important thing is balance. Don’t feel that you can’t indulge in Christmas pudding, just opt for a smaller portion and go for a half hour walk beforehand.
• When dishing up food at least half of your plate should consist of vegetables. In fact, vegetables and crudités make ideal appetizers or serve a salad for the first course of your healthy Christmas dinner menu.
• As delicious combination as cheese and crackers are, these are high in calories. Consider pairing cheese with other foods such as olives and offer lightly salted nuts, strawberries and dried figs. These all contain nutrients such as fibre and monosaturated fats that will help you feel fuller for longer. While strawberries may not be in season in this country, refrigerated transportation companies deliver them so you will be able to enjoy them during the festive season.
• Vegetables such as mashed pumpkin make an ideal base for dishes and a good substitute for eggs and oils, while mashed beetroot is excellent in baked treats especially anything chocolate flavoured. These are ideal for use in healthy Christmas dinner recipes.
• Instead of using flavourings and colouring agents that are high in sodium, try using herbs and spices to flavour your foods without the additional salt, sugar and fats that artificial flavouring agents contain. Even using something like frozen berries that are delivered to shops via frozen delivery service provide sweetening to desserts without the high calorie content of table sugar.
• For foods and dishes that are higher in calories such as glazed gammon or cauliflower cheese, serve smaller portions.
• Exercise is very important so be sure to incorporate 30 minutes of this at least three to five times a week and then even if you do overindulge a little with your healthy Christmas meal you can at least work off the extra calories.