The festive period can be a time when we all eat and drink too much, and after the year we’ve had who could blame us? However, there are some easy swaps you can make that will keep the weight gain to a minimum.
Let’s start with the drinks. It can be very easy to unknowingly consume a mass of calories in liquid form. For example, a standard glass of wine (175ml) contains 133 calories and a pint of 5% beer around 239 calories, which is about the same as a mars bar! Calories can easily mount up over Christmas and new year. You could also switch from pints to bottles, small measures of spirits and choose sugar free mixers. Also try drinking a glass of water for every other drink, which will also help reduce your hangover, or choose red wine which has lower calories than most alcoholic drinks and is also believed to have health benefits for your heart.
There always tends to be a lot of chocolate around at Christmas too, at least in my house! Where possible try to choose dark chocolate, which contains antioxidants and is also a great anti-inflammatory food. Alternatively, for an even healthier alternative swap the chocolate for unsalted nuts. Just ensure that you practice portion control as they are high in calories but do contain protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
To make that Christmas turkey just a little bit healthier, trim off the fat and remove the skin. Little changes can make a big difference when it comes to calories consumed.
Brandy butter is another Christmas favourite, but beware, one dollop can contain approximately 58 calories. Swapping this for crème fraiche will reduce the calories to approximately 30 and it also gives you a healthy dose of calcium.
Who doesn’t love cheese and biscuits after their meal? But again, be careful as most cheeses are high in saturated fat. Where possible try and choose low fat options and give some thought to adding grapes or celery to your cheese board which should result in less cheese being eaten and therefore less calories consumed.
Finally try and choose smaller portions, one chocolate not several, mini mice pies instead of regular sized, and give some thought to using smaller sized plates as it’s then easier to have a plate full of food but with less calories.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself. This year has been a struggle for many and Christmas is a time to enjoy ourselves. At TheBoldAge we don’t believe in restricting your diet to the point where it makes you miserable, just remember ‘everything in moderation!’ and then you won’t be starting the new year worrying about that Christmas weight gain.
### Boldie thanks:
Thanks for the photo Alexander Mils on Unsplash