Christmas is a time of year associated with over-indulgence which can leave you feeling exhausted, bloated and several pounds heavier! But there is a way to enjoy the festive season and stay healthy whilst still enjoying special indulgences free.
If you work hard to maintain good health all year round by eating a balanced diet and exercising, you may feel reluctant to give in to the Christmas onslaught of canapés, drinks, mince pies and everything else in between!
Our tips can may prove helpful when it comes to the classic nutiritional pitfalls during the festive season.
- Start your day well. Include a nutritious breakfast every day over the festive period. This can be helpful to banish mid-morning snack cravings and combat any effects felt from the night before! Opt for a protein-rich dish to stabilise blood sugar levels such as eggs and avocado, a smoothie with protein powder or a chia seed pudding.
- Be prepared. Carry snacks with you, especially before attending a drinks party where there might be canapés, buffet food and drinks to tempt you.
- Stay hydrated. If you find drinking plain water boring, why not keep your intake up with some herbal tea.
- Swap for healthy alternatives. Try making roast sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes to reduce the starch content and increase eye-health boosting vitamin A. Or swap sugary mulled wine for a non-alcoholic hot fruity drink instead? If you’re feeling adventurous how about making your own healthy Christmas pudding swapping refined sugar for maple syrup and the white flour for a gluten-free alternative such as buckwheat or brown rice flour?
- Give you Christmas food a superfood boost. Add in some super foods to elevate your Christmas dinners to a new level of healthiness! If you can’t bear to be without some of your favourite dishes then try adding in some nutrient boosting foods – sprinkle pomegranate seeds into braised red cabbage or pan-fried Brussels sprouts for a hit of antioxidants, use freshly squeezed clementine juice to make your Bucks Fizz for a Vitamin C boost, or try cooking with coconut oil, it can be used to fry or bake and contains healthy fats and antibacterial properties to keep your stomach happy and your immune system strong.
- Enjoy indulgences guilt-free. Christmas should be comforting and full of happiness so choose carefully and pick a few of your absolute favourite Christmas treats and indulgences, savour them and enjoy them.
Here are some of our favourite deliciious Christmas recipes for you to enjoy.
Spiced Christmas cookies
- 2 cups of buckwheat or brown rice flour
- 3 cups of ground almonds
- 1/2 a cup of water
- 1/2 a cup of pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons of ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- a handful of dried cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 180oC.
- Add all the ingredients together in a bowl to create the mixture.
- Grease 2 baking trays with coconut oil.
- Roll out the mixture on a flat mixture and use your choice of Christmas cookie cutter shapes, then place on the baking trays.
- Bake the cookies for around 20 mins, or until they are golden.
Christmas smoothie
- a large handful of spinach
- 1 pear, chopped
- 1/4 cup of cranberries, fresh
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 inch ginger root, peeled
- 2 tablespoons raw cashews
- 1 cup of water
- a few cubes of ice
- Blitz all the ingredients together in a blender and serve immediately.
Vegan mince pies
For the filling:
- 500g apples, finely diced with the skin
- 250g raisins
- 50g cranberries or sun-dried cherries
- 50g goji berries
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 orange, for juice (zest from ½ orange)
- 500 ml fresh apple juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1. Combine the apples, raisins and cranberries into a saucepan.
2. Add the apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and the zest from 1 orange.
3. Cover the saucepan and simmer over a gentle heat for 30 minutes, making sure to stir every now and then.
4. Add more apple juice if needed to keep the mixture plump and moist then simmer for another 30 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
6. The fruit mince is now ready to be transferred into the mince pie crusts.
For the crust
- 175g buckwheat flour
- 40g desiccated coconut
- 60g ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or cold pressed coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or organic maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water to mix if needed to form a dough
1. Combine buckwheat flour, coconut and ground almonds in a food processor or large bowl and then add the oil (for coconut oil melt in a pan until liquid), honey and vanilla.
2. Mix well for about 30 seconds or until combined until you form a soft dough.
4. Add the water and process again.
5. The addition of water will help the crust mixture stick together.
6. Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper and cut into circles, large enough to to cover the base and sides of your tart shells.
7. Lay the base of the tarts in a greased moulded cake tray.
8. Fill lined tart shells with 1 tablespoon of the fruit mince or enough to fill the tart. Roll out rest of the pastry and cut out in the shape of stars. Arrange stars over the top of the mince pies.
9. Bake at 150oC (300oF) in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely before eating and enjoy.
