Christmas is often a time of overindulgence with heavy meals, lots of sugary food and plenty of alcohol.
It is such a treat to enjoy time off of work with family and friends, but wouldn’t you like to feel great after Christmas rather than having that heavy, sluggish feeling?
Pick and choose a few healthy options and you can have it both ways: Enjoy your indulgences and balance them out with delicious, nutritious foods.
A traditional Christmas dinner includes a lot of healthy food. So if you eat meat, turkey is a good food as are the vegetarian alternatives like nut roast. Add roasted vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli or cabbage and you have a highly nutritious meal on your plate.
Here are the top 5 tips to a health filled, delicious Christmas.
Kick start your metabolism. Eat breakfast.
Many people skip breakfast, as they know they are going to have a large lunch. It is actually much better to eat regularly throughout the day as this avoids large fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Porridge or muesli with some live yoghurt and fruit is a good option, as is egg with mushrooms and tomatoes. But if you really can’t face breakfast then have a fruit smoothie with fruits like kiwi, bananas, pears and strawberries. Add some ground pumpkin seeds and linseeds for extra nutrition, plus some cinnamon and fresh ginger which not only give a sweet Christmassy taste, but also help to kick start your metabolism.
Gorgeous Christmas Treats
Traditional Christmas snacks such as nuts, dates, figs, oranges and satsumas, are delicious forms of nutrition. Reach for these rather than those ubiquitous bumper tins of sweets, or at least split between the two. Having a few pieces of fresh fruit before or between meals can take the edge off your hunger and stop you gorging when the main meal is served.
Savour the sensation
If you do have more indulgent foods, try eating them as slowly as possible to really savour the taste. The main enjoyment is experienced via your taste buds so you can get more pleasure by eating a little slowly, rather than wolfing down too much too quickly. Less is more.
Eating all foods slowly and mindfully improves digestion and nutrient absorption. Pace yourself and you will notice when you are getting full.
Water with your wine
If you are drinking alcohol, alternate with water with a squeeze of lemon, juice or cordial. This can lower the amount of alcohol you have and keep you better hydrated, which means less of a hangover.
A clearer head gives Boxing Day a fighting chance for a peaceful, entertaining time with the family.
Get out there
Make sure you get some exercise and fresh air. A brisk walk in the park or countryside is ideal to either raise your appetite before a big dinner or burn off a few calories after.
Why not try Lloyd’s Christmas Recipe?
This delicious dish goes well with any Christmas dinner and can be a great alternative to the more starchy roast potatoes.
Mixed roasted vegetables.
Par-boil a mixture of vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and fennel bulbs for 10 minutes.
Beetroot is also great, but needs 20 minutes so boil this separately.
Drain and allow them to steam dry for a few minutes by spreading them on a large baking tray.
Mix up some olive oil with juice of half a lemon or some balsamic vinegar with salt and pepper and drizzle over the vegetables.
Add some herbs like rosemary leaves, a bay leaf, oregano and thyme and roast them for 50-60 minutes at 190°C.
Turn regularly and avoid any parts burning, as burnt or overheated food contain a high amount of free radicals which are not good for you.
“Food can be the most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
A healthy diet is not just about counting calories. Nutritional value and quality is by far the most important factor.
Book to see Lloyd this month and get your health, mind and body into optimum shape. Learn how to enhance your vitality and energy with food.
