A Balanced Christmas - Enjoying Festive Food for Everyone
The Christmas period is usually known for indulgence. The approach of ‘everything-in-moderation’ will allow you to enjoy the festive period without attaching any guilt or rules to a time that is meant to be enjoyed.
The traditional Christmas dinner is nutritious!
The traditional Christmas dinner is actually a classically balanced meal. Turkey is a lean protein and provides sources of vitamins B6, B12, niacin, selenium and zinc. Potatoes contain carbohydrates, fibre, and potassium. Carrots, parsnips and brussels sprouts provide vitamins and fibre.
For additional health benefits, try:
Leaving the skin on your potatoes so you get some extra fibre.
Roasting the potatoes in vegetable oil instead of goose fat and the turkey without large amounts of butter will help keep saturated fats lower.
If drinking alcohol over the Christmas holidays, be sure to drink plenty of water both before and after, to help you and your body the next morning.
Eating your food slowly and chewing properly can help to reduce your portion sizes, along with many other benefits including:
Increasing your feeling of fullness and satisfaction by sending signals to your brain, making you less likely to overeat.
Helping with the digestion of your food, and therefore fewer gut-related problems.
Allowing you to enjoy the food more and taste each bite to really savour the food.
Catering for Different Dietary Requirements:
Finding twists on traditional treats may seem like a challenge, but it's actually an opportunity to try tasty new recipes and introduce the wider family to different foods.
Catering for Plant-Based Diets
Try lentil sausages wrapped in courgette ribbons for starters, a vegetable or nut loaf as a main, and vegan Yorkshire puddings made with soya milk for the all-important side dish. For dessert, try a dairy-free rice pudding using almond milk. Eggs are an ingredient commonly found in many recipes, but did you know that apple sauce can be a great substitute?
Foods You Might Be Surprised to Know Aren't Vegan
Chocolate
Beer
Wine
Worcestershire sauce
Veggie mock meats (some contain eggs or dairy, so check for vegan versions, not just vegetarian)
Honey
Bread (may contain milk, eggs or butter)
Some sweets/candy
How About Allergens?
Ask your guests ahead of the day if they have any allergies. Knowing that you are keeping your guests safe will offer peace of mind and they will be appreciative of you asking.
If you are catering for individuals with allergens, don't be afraid to ask what they would like and be careful to check the ingredient and allergen listing of all ingredients that you use in the food they will be eating. You might be surprised at some of the allergens in foods that we wouldn't expect, and you can never be too careful.
Enjoy the Festive Season
There are lots of ways to eradicate the stress of cooking a meal without having to miss out on the fun and delicious tastes this festive period. Give some of our tips a go and happy cooking!
To keep yourselves ticking over during the Christmas period, give our “12 Days of Christmas" Workout a go - great to do in pairs or as a group, to really push each other!