10 tips for a healthier Christmas season
At Christmas, it’s perfectly OK to enjoy a guilt-free feast. But if you’d like to choose moments to stick to your health goals, these tips might help.
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Key points
- For most of us, eating “unhealthy” food on the odd occasions isn’t harmful to our physical health. In fact, it can be good for our emotional health to share a meal with others.
- Deciding when to enjoy a guilt-free feast, and when to make healthier choices can help you meet your nutritional needs.
Christmas is a time of year that means different things to different people – perhaps even at different times in our lives.
It can bring a mix of joy, sadness, connection, loneliness and almost every emotion in between.
Regardless of what the “silly season” means for you, there is one factor that usually connects us all...
Food. Lots and lots of food!
It can be good for our emotional and social health to gather on Christmas Day and enjoy a guilt-free feast.
However, it’s harder to feel our best when one day of yummy food stretches out to the month of December and into the New Year.
If you relate to that feeling, here are 10 tips for a healthier Christmas season:
Tip 1. Decide when to zig, and when to zag.
Food is more than just nutrition. It represents joy, shared memories and cultural connection.
For most of us, eating “unhealthy” food on the odd occasions isn’t harmful to our physical health. And it might even be good for other important aspects of our health, such as social, emotional, or spiritual.
In other words, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally “zig” away from healthy eating, if we’re “zagging” and meeting our nutritional needs most of the time.
This festive season, think about when you’d like to eat for joy. Is it Christmas Day? Or is there another significant occasion when nutrition doesn’t need to be a priority?
On the flipside, consider some other occasions where you might commit to nutritious choices. The strategies below may help at those times.
Tip 2. Opt for spritzers vs full-strength drinks.
Alcohol is a big feature of celebrations and pressure to drink can be strong at this time of year.
Yet 200ml of wine contains as many calories as a small (30g) chocolate bar. And regular drinking can impact your sleep and leave you feeling rundown.
Mixing your alcohol of choice with soda to form a spritzer is an easy way to cut back on standard drinks – and stay better hydrated in the process!
Tip 3. Conquer and divide the Christmas or party menu.
Being a season of generosity, many people demonstrate their love with food. And if everyone lovingly pitches into a Christmas feast, it’s easy to end up with surplus dishes and multiple desserts that may extend your period of ‘unhealthy’ eating.
A little planning and delegation ahead of hosting a festive event can minimise this surplus, whilst ensuring that everyone who wishes to contribute to the cooking still can.
An example strategy is a ‘lucky dip’ draw on appetisers, mains and desserts!
You could also invite guests to bring spare empty containers, so any leftovers can be shared.
Tip 4. Make one protein the star of the show.
Protein is a highly satiating aspect of any menu. Simplify your menu (and stress!) by opting for one "main attraction” from this food group, such as a turkey or Christmas ham. Whilst people’s intake does vary, many restaurants and caterers recommend allocating 200g of raw meat (excluding bone weight) per person.
Tip 5. Serve main meals with a delicious salad or side of veggies.
Including delicious roasted vegetables and sides of fresh summer salads is an easy way to give your meal a nutritional uplift. Consider some of these delicious combinations for starting inspiration:
Roast vegetables drizzled with olive oil, balsamic glaze, crumbled feta, and dukkhah
Brussel sprouts roasted with garlic, butter, and maple syrup
Crispy garden salad flavoured with crunchy roasted slivered almonds, pomegranate jubes, and a cheese of your choice
Potato salad mixed with freshly made basil pesto and sundried tomatoes
Greek salad jazzed up with Sicilian olives, roasted capsicum strips, and feta
Roast pumpkin with fried haloumi pieces, rocket, juicy cherry tomatoes, and a zesty vinaigrette.
And the list goes on!
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Tip 6. Make extra virgin olive oil your oil of choice for cooking.
Contrary to the popular myth, extra virgin olive oil is perfectly fine to cook with. Make it your oil of choice for meat marinades, salad dressings, roast vegetables, and savoury stove-top cooking.
Opting for a “light” extra virgin oil will mean that the hallmark olive oil flavour will be lighter.
Tip 7. Don’t walk into a Christmas party on an empty belly.
During this busy time of year, it’s easy to wind up starving by the time you make it to your Christmas celebration.
It may sound obvious but when we are overly hungry, the body naturally craves higher energy foods that are rich in fat and sugars.
Keeping some healthy snacks such as a whole-food muesli bar or trail mix in your car or handbag is a simple strategy to line your belly – even when the silly season gets busy.
Tip 8. Sprinkle some movement into your day.
Our usual routines can be thrown out of whack at this time of year, which means that habits around regular exercise can understandably get thrown out the window.
When it’s possible, aim to embrace flexible opportunities to move, even if it’s not your usual “workout” or regular activity.
Even going for an evening stroll or doing some gentle stretches in front of the television can help your body to feel well during the festive period.
Tip 9. Cater for the day (so there’s not too many leftovers).
If you are hosting a Christmas celebration this year, aim to cater the correct amount of “splurge” food to suit the number of visitors.
This can be easier said than done! Supermarkets are chaotic in the lead-up to Christmas and it is sometimes overwhelming deciding what to buy in the midst of busy crowds.
As best as you can, plan a set menu and write down a shopping list of all the ingredients you’ll need for the day. Heading to the supermarkets armed and prepared will make the shopping less stressful and cut down on less healthy leftovers.
Tip 10. Enjoy a mindful moment before taking your first (and next) bite.
Christmas can be a stimulating, even stressful time, and it’s easy to arrive at the dinner table distracted and ungrounded.
Our bodies digest food better in a state of relaxation. Even one deep breath can go a long way towards restoring calm.
For added benefit, try to stay present throughout your meal. When we eat mindfully, we tend to reach a point of satiation earlier because we’ve savoured every bite. And if you’re enjoying a meal with others, taking a moment to appreciate their company is also shown to be good for your health.
A final kind note
There’s no need to feel guilty about experiencing the joy of food from time to time. Christmas is about so much more than calories. I hope this article helps when your body would most benefit from nutritious support. And I hope you enjoy yummy food at the times when socialising and enjoyment take priority! Wishing you a magical merry festive season.
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional about any health concerns or before making any changes to your medication, diet, or exercise routine.
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