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Article 5 tips to eating healthy over Christmas

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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?

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Comments

  • I love the idea of a big healthy fruit platter.

    • I enjoyed a lovely big fruit platter Christmas day. I have been enjoying the mangoes as well.

    Reply

  • Water, portions, and fruit and salads- simple excellent ideas for satisfaction and saiety.

    • Hope you enjoyed lots of fresh salads and fruit over the festive season.

    Reply

  • thanks for sharing these tips

    • You’re welcome. I hoped they helped you over the “silly season”.

    Reply

  • my health tip for christmas is… dont stress and eat u want, just in moderation…

    Reply

  • I will be trying my best

    Reply

  • I am lucky when it comes to Xmas – I love salads and not much of a sweet tooth, and don’t like ham or turkey and all the trimming. My only downfall is platters with cheese, dips and biscuits.

    • Yes you are lucky not to have a sweet tooth. I hope you had a lovely Christmas

    Reply

  • Very good tips here. I remember an Oprah show where she said you enjoy the first three bites the best. If you are seriously watching your weight, you can enjoy all the yummy Christmas treats, just small amounts and really enjoy each bite.

    Reply

  • Need all the help I can get thanks for sharing

    • Hope you had a great Christmas and enjoyed lots of healthy food

    Reply

  • I eat left overs for weeks after , even if I freeze a lot of ham ohh and I even give my friends and neighbours food ,,,, I must learn not to buy so much hey

    • Portion control is definitely a challenge at Christmas! I usually have leftovers too – but I love it because we always have healthy meats, summer fruits and salads left. I try to limit the number chocolates, desserts and soft drinks (etc) I buy so that by the time my family leaves after Xmas I’m not left with all the junk food. Good luck!

    Reply

  • Love your tips and I plan to use them too.
    I have been losing weight for the past 2 years and what works for me is to plan how much I want to lose and then add 2 more kilos for the silly season. So you don’t have to watch too much, and you don’t feel bad if you do put on a kilo.

    • Thanks! And great work on staying committed to your goal. I think being strategic and planning can definitely make a big difference around Christmas time, however that looks for different women. Great tip – thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  • Great advise, I thing smàll amounts is the key

    Reply

  • if you want to eat chocolate eat dark chocolate because it makes you feel good and in moderation its is good for you

    • Great tip! Thanks! I love dark chocolate and it also makes a nice gift as it’s that little bit more special sometimes than normal chocolate.

    Reply

  • moderation ..pity I don’t take my own advice, as I have been known to over-indulge.

    • We all have at some point! The important thing is not to give up when those over-indulging times happen. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  • Everything in moderation! Don’t deny yourself otherwise once you give in you’ll go overboard. 🙂

    Reply

  • we do need to eat healthy for Christmas time.

    Reply

  • I try and tend to stick to the leaner meats and healthier salads with out the creamy dressing. It is very hard to resist the desserts though. I try and enjoy Christmas and the food and then i will try and cut back for a few days and just eat healthily most of the time.

    • That’s great, I’m a big believer of enjoying yourself but still being healthy most of the time. If you’re too strict on yourself then it’s easier to give up and go overboard with indulgence. Thanks for sharing, enjoy your Christmas!

    Reply

  • Pace yourself! Drink lots of water and really focus on eating the things you really enjoy. I need to take my own advice and notice my ‘off’ switch!

    • Pacing yourself is a great tip, not just for Christmas Day but for the whole month – thanks!

    Reply

  • some great ideas, will be TRYING this

    Reply

  • Thanks for sharing. Some great tips 🙂

    Reply

  • Some great ideas here now to remember them over the Christmas season

    Reply
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