Turkey with all the trimmings, Christmas pudding,
bottle after bottle of grape and bubbly and, of course, chocolates, cheese and
mince pies between meals. This isn’t just Christmas, this is an amazing assault
on your gastronomic senses!
Before you set off home to spend a festive
fortnight with your family consider your eating habits during this period and
the effects it has on your body. I’m not saying deprive yourself of holiday treats
or opt for nut loaf over turkey but it is worth considering your portion sizes
and curbing snacks between meals.
1) Continue to eat breakfast every day,
even if you don’t feel hungry – a bowl of fibre such as bran flakes with a
sprinkling of oats will help your digestive system cope with rich food
throughout the day and stop you reaching for the jar of salted peanuts
mid-morning.
2) Choose natural food
– fortunately turkey is one of the healthiest meats you can eat. It has a low
fat content and is packed with protein. During mealtimes, fill the majority of
space on your plate with vegetables, choose boiled potatoes over roasted (less
fat) and avoid sauces, such as creamy horseradish or sugary cranberry sauce.
3) Chocolate
– choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate for less sugar and more
antioxidants.
4) Wine
– choose red wine over white wine. Red wine has less
chemicals and less calories per glass and treat yourself to some bubbly.
Champagne contains red grapes and has an antioxidising effect on the body.
5) Stop snacking
– don’t place bowls of crisps, salted peanuts and
chocolates around your home; the temptation to constantly eat them will prove
too much. Instead place high sugar snacks in a cupboard and save them for
special treats and fill bowls with dates and other dried fruits. These are high
in natural sugar rather than refined sugar, which the body recognises more
easily. A handful of dates can reduce fats in your blood by a sixth, according
to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and its low GI won’t spike
your blood sugar levels.
By: Sarah Cowell
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