Apparently Christmas is just around the corner (can you believe it?!) and I want to help you be prepared for the “silly season”.

A lot of people dread this time of year, especially if you have been on a bit of health kick and trying to be healthy and lose a little weight.

Christmas doesn’t have to be a time to gain weight, I have some great tips to eating healthy over Christmas.

You don’t have to go without all the goodies, but a bit of sensible thinking and preparation can go a long way to keeping on track over this festive season.

Here are some tips for eating healthy over the festive season:

1. Instead of loading up on lollies and chips that you can have all year round, I recommend filling your fridges with the most delicious summer fruits that are around this time of year. Fresh watermelon and other summer fruits are in season, which means they’re cheaper at this time of year too. Every year my family has a huge fruit platter for breakfast on Christmas Day and then it is there to snack on all day. You can have mangoes, cherries, nectarines, peaches, grapes, rockmelon, watermelon and my all time favourite – lychees. You can get very creative in your presentation (just have a look on Pinterest if you need inspiration!).
2. If it is hot where you are – and where isn’t it hot on Christmas Day in Australia – then it’s a great time to get creative with some delicious salads. Now I’m not known for my culinary expertise, but even I can manage to make a delicious (and healthy) salad or two to go with whatever type of meat we are having. If you prefer the traditional approach to Christmas lunch, then once again my advice is to load up on the seasonal vegetables. We are so lucky in Australia to have such a wide variety of fresh produce available.  Whatever you’re eating at your Christmas dinners and lunches leading up to the big day, try to make sure there’s a healthy serving of veggies or salad on the side.
3. It’s important not to stuff yourself silly. We’ve all been there, and we all know that pigging out only leads to you feeling bloated and horrible. You don’t need to eat a lot to still enjoy the delicious treats this season. Slow down, enjoy your meal and family time.
4. If your family enjoys special desserts, then once again, stay away from the stuff you can have all year. Have a nice Christmas pudding and enjoy the treat. If you make pavlova, go for a fruit topping rather than chocolate. And of course – a delicious fruit salad is always hard to resist. If you absolutely can’t get around the dessert, then don’t beat yourself up about it, just enjoy it. Once again it’s about portion size and not over doing it.
5. It’s hot – so make sure you’re drinking lots of water over summer, not just soft drink and alcohol. Also, if you drink lots of water then you’ll be less likely to overeat, which is always a good thing. Also, try making fresh fruit juices and smoothies with delicious summer fruit, as an alternative to soft drinks for the kids.

Every year I have friends who spend the month of December talking about what treats they’re going to bake and what they’ll do for Christmas lunch.

Make your plans, do your shopping, and then try and take the focus off the food by enjoying everything else this time of year has to offer.

Now it’s your turn – tell me in the comments below, what is your best tip for eating healthy this Christmas season?

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