You’ve worked the whole year on your health, you’re proud and quite rightly so, you’ve done an incredible job. You’re not the same person that you were this time last year and you don’t want to ruin all the hard work. At the same time, you have a serious case of festive food FOMO! 

Never fear, I’m here to guide you through the festive dilemma, so that you can have your cake and eat it. All you need is to pay attention, make some good choices and, above all, understand why these simple choices are so important. 

I don’t normally talk about calories, however, for the purpose of easy understanding they are featured below!

Turkey: This should be your first port of call, especially if you have a stressed out family. Turkey contains tryptophan and amino acid which is converted by the body into serotonin, a chemical known for its mood boosting properties, handy for calming everyone down! Aside from all this, turkey is a source of lean protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins and selenium.

100g of roasted turkey will give you 104 calories and 2g of fat. If you take the skin off you’ll save yourself 40 calories and half the fat! 

Brussels sprouts: These little bad boys are surprisingly good for you, full of folate, vitamin C and fibre, they have been shown to reduce DNA damage. They are stacked full of cancer fighting sulforaphane, giving them another valid reason to be on your plate. 

Avoid drowning them in creamy sauces! One of the best ways to enjoy them is lightly steamed. As steaming reduces the natural flavour, you can shower them in herbs and spices if you feel the need to heighten the flavour even more. 150g of Brussel sprouts equates to 65 calories so if your super hungry you know what to tuck into to fill you up.

Sweet Potatoes: A brilliant source of beta-carotene which just in case you didn’t know is an essential nutrient for healthy skin and immune system. Beta-carotene is also anti-inflammatory. You might want to think about switching the white potatoes out this year!  

Boil or bake your sweet potatoes. If you want to roast them, do so with coconut oil which is stable at high temperatures and preferentially used by the body as a fuel source. 

Cranberry Sauce:  Store bought cranberry sauce is laden with sugar so challenge yourself in making your own by simmering fresh cranberries with orange juice and red wine. 

WARNING!! 
Sausages, meat stuffing and bacon are processed products, high in salt and a lot of times full of additives. One rasher of bacon can contain up to 6g of fat and 90 calories! Add stuffing and gravy to your day, and you’re sitting at 320 calories.

Swap the sausage meat for nut and fruit based stuffing, which is full of healthier fats, fibre and antioxidants.

Mince Pie: Ooo I love these guys! But at 203 calories a shot for an average mince pie I always make my own and I advise you to do the same, here’s the recipe (insert recipe link) 

Christmas pudding: 320 calories and 49g sugar with a dollop of brandy butter, I think we’ve found where the serious calories are hiding! Watch you portion size and top your serving with coconut yogurt instead of cream.

Choosing healthier options. 

Satsumas: Santa always used to leave a satsuma in the tip of my stocking. I think it was a gentle warning from the big guy. Satsumas, low in calories, rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and soluble fibre. 2 of these little orange balls contains 36 calories you can pretty much eat a box of them for one slice of Christmas pudding! 

Dark Chocolate: 70% cocoa and up, enough chocolate to give you the buzz you are looking for, bitter enough to stop you coming back for more@ 

Mixed nuts: Rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated and essential fats, plus a host of vitamins and minerals, they make a good snack. 

Then there was mulled wine… 

Full of heart protecting antioxidants especially resveratrol, but be wary of the amount you drink, 1 average sized glass packs a 122-calorie punch and is laden in sugar. You might want to stop at one glass! 

At the end of the day Christmas Day itself comes but once a year. My general advice is to relax and enjoy the day, have a bit of everything but not go overboard. Try to avoid the beach whale feeling by making smart choices and watching your portion sizes.