Tips for the Christmas Season
Enjoy yourself
Firstly and most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Christmas is one day, and enjoying this occasion with your friends and family is the most important! Try not to stress too much about food, just be mindful, enjoy the laughter and have quality time with friends and family.
Stay active
Use the time to keep active. Enjoy walking with family and friends, play with the kids, get your dancing shoes on and have a dance with family and who doesn’t love a good game of cricket.
Fill up with fibre
If it takes a lot for you to stay full. Fill half of your plate with vegetables and salad dishes to increase your fibre intake, and aim to eat these first. This will help keep you full throughout the day and avoid over indulging on all the yummy treats you get to enjoy later.
Fruit based desserts
Try some meringue or pavlova with fruit for the topping, dark chocolate coated strawberries is also a great option or even some yoghurt with a fruit salad. These desserts will help you get some healthy nutrients and more fibre into your day. Make sure you leave some room for your favourite desserts, you don’t need to miss out!
Plan ahead
If you know the family is gathering for Christmas lunch, aim for a lighter breakfast and dinner and avoid snacking in between, so you can enjoy lunch more. You can even prepare some delicious healthier options to bring to lunch so there’s more for you to pick from and your family can enjoy them with you.
Quality over quantity
Enjoy your favourite foods, that’s with the festive season is about. Just aim for moderation, there’s no need to over indulge. Instead of consuming four gingerbread man, consume one, eat slowly and really enjoy it. When it comes to alcohol you can still enjoy yourself, just aim for a couple of glasses of wine instead of a whole bottle. Moderation and slow eating/drinking is key to avoiding over-indulging.
Take your time
Remember you have all day, eat slowly, enjoy your food and relax. It takes our body twenty minutes after we start eating to send the “I’m getting full signal” to the brain. After you’ve finished your first serving, wait ten minutes, enjoy yourself and talk to family and friends. Once this period is over, reassess your appetite and if you’re still hungry grab some seconds.
Don’t forget to get quality sleep
Amongst all the fun and late nights over the silly season, sleep is often neglected. When you’re sleep deprived you will often eat more and crave more high-fat and high-sugar foods. To avoid this make sure you stay well rested and aim for around 7-8 hours sleep per night.