Christmas lunch – for dieters!
Tuesday 11 December 2007
Oh Christmas! It’s the biggest meal of the year and we all deserve to enjoy it WITHOUT worrying about the extra weight for once…so here’s all the good things the festive feast is doing to your body so you can think about them instead…
Chances are that come Christmas Day the turkey won’t be the only one feeling stuffed. The scary fact is that most of us consume between 2-3 times as many calories as we really need on the big day.
To make matters worse, the only exercise we’re likely to get is staggering into the kitchen to open another bottle of wine.
But let’s face it – we’re going to do it anyway, no one wants to compromise on Christmas. And it only happens once a year. So let’s concentrate on the glad tidings.
Did you know the individual components of the Christmas lunch are really quite healthy? There are also several easy ways you can trim the fat and cut calories and still enjoy turkey with all the trimmings...
Starter
If you are going to have one, keep it simple – smoked salmon is the perfect choice. It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids that helps keep the heart healthy and reduce the risk of blood clots. Serve with wholemeal bread and a slice of lemon. Prawns or any other type of shellfish would be another good choice.
1 slice of whomemeal bread and salmon = 112 cals and 4.8g fat
1 slice of white bread with pate = 260 cals and 10.8g fat
SAVE 148 cals and 6g fat
Turkey
Turkey is low in fat and good source of B vitamins, iron and zinc. Although the darker meat contains slightly more fat than white meat it has three times as much iron and twice as much zinc. Turkey is rich in the amino acid tyrptophan which stimulates the release of the ‘feel good’ hormone serotonin.
Remove the skin from turkey before eating and you’ll save around 50 calories, and 5g of fat which, Ok, is a drop in the ocean but it’s up to you….
150g portion of white meat turkey = 168 cals and 1.2g fat
150g portion of dark meat with roasted skin = 275 cals and 6.6g fat
SAVE 107 cals and 5.4g fat
Stuffing
A stuffing made from chestnuts or dried fruits such as apricots or cranberries instead of the traditional sausage meat will help boost your intake of vitamins and phytochemcials such as beta-carotene. You’ll also save about 100 calories and 11g fat per serving. If you’re making stuffing from scratch use wholemeal breadcrumbs – you won’t notice the difference but will get the benefit of extra fibre
50g serving of Sainsbury's Date and Walnut stuffing = 66 cals and 1.8g fat
50g serving of Sainsbury's sausagemeat stuffing = 175 cals and 4.2g fat
SAVE 109 cals and 2.4g fat
Roast potatoes
Bigger is always better particularly when you’re talking about roast potatoes. Larger potatoes absorb less fat during roasting. Par boil potatoes first, then brush with a little olive oil before finishing off in the oven.
Per 150g of roast potatoes brushed in olive oil = 145 cals and 3.1g fat
Per 150g of roast potatoes with turkey fat = 231cals and 14g fat
SAVE – 86 cals and 10.9g fat
The trimmings
Even small changes can make a big difference so make bread sauce with skimmed milk rather than full fat.
For fat free gravy pour the turkey juices into a jug and wait for fat to rise to the surface. Carefully pour or spoon off the fat before using the juices to make gravy. Each tablespoon of fat you remove means 11g fat less fat in the gravy. Choose low fat chipolatas and make bacon rolls with lean bacon rather than streaky.
Vegetables
Brussels sprouts may not be everyone’s favourite but in the nutrition world they are real superstars. One medium serving of sprouts provides 100% of the Recommended Daily Amount of vitamin C and good amounts of folic acid. They’re also rich in phytochemcials called glucosinolates which are believed to help protect against cancer.
If you don’t like sprouts don’t worry just make sure you pile your plate high with other veggies – they all have something good to offer. Lightly steam vegetables rather than boiling will help to preserve their vitamin content. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon rather than butter.
Christmas pudding
Dried fruit is rich in potassium which helps to counteract the negative effects of too much salt, they also provide useful amounts of iron. Serve with custard or Greek yoghurt rather than double cream or brandy butter.
Portion of Tesco's healthy eating Christmas pudding = 258 cals and 2.7g fat
Portion of average retail Christmas pudding = 322 cals and 11.8g fat
SAVE 64 cals and 9.1g fat
Treats
The trouble with Christmas is that we are surrounded by tasty goodies which tempt us to eat when we’re not really hungry. Try to listen to your natural appetite cues – ask yourself if you really need that second helping of trifle or mince pie. Make sure you have lots of healthy treats on hand and balance indulgences by eating healthily at meals. Rather than eating half a dozen Quality Street, treat yourself to one really exquisite champagne truffle or one square of good quality dark chocolate.
The facts, just so you know what you’re doing:
Chocolate truffles – 100cals
Mince pie (55g) – 233kcals
Slice of Christmas cake (70g) – 250 kcals
Liqueur chocolate – 59 kcal
Trifle (1 bowl/150g) – 250kcals
The healthy choices:
Tangerines – 25cals/each – 1 tangerine provides over 50% of the RDA of vitamin C. They also provide useful amounts of dietary fibre and the phytochemcials lutein and zeaxanthin that help keep the eyes healthy.
1 square/15g good quality dark chocolate – 80kcals- choose good quality chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids. Plain chocolate is a good source of phytochemicals called polyphenols which are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Small bunch of grapes – 45 kcals – rich in potassium, which helps lower raised blood pressure and phytochemicals called anthocyanins which protect against cancer.
Figs – 1 fresh fig =25cals In traditional Chinese medicine figs are believed to help eliminate toxins form the body and counteract the effects of over-indulgence – just the thing after a huge Christmas lunch. Dried figs are a useful source of iron, calcium, potassium and dietary fibre.
Dates – 1 date =30cals – rich in potassium, they also provide useful amounts of iron and dietary fibre.
Roast chestnuts – 17cals/each – unlike all other nuts chestnuts are low in fat. 4 roasted chestnuts would provide around one fifth of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6, they also provide useful amounts of copper and dietary fibre
Brazil nuts – 1 nut = 40cals. All nuts are rich in unsaturated fats – the type that help reduce cholesterol levels and protect the heart. But good or bad fat means calories so don’t overindulge. Brazil nuts are exceptionally high in the mineral selenium which is often lacking in modern diets