Christmas Dieting Saviors

It’s not all doom and gloom. Amongst the many potential dieting saboteurs over Christmas, there is the odd hidden gem that helps you get through the holiday period with your sanity intact and your body-fat at the same level it was back in the Autumn.

Turkey

It wouldn’t be Christmas without turkey. Fortunately, turkey is chocked full of metabolism-boosting, muscle-repairing protein. It’s a lot leaner, than red meat, so lower in calories too. Stick to mainly breast meat, with the odd higher calorie leg or wing thrown in. Cook a big turkey and keep some cold to get you through to the New Year.

Ham

Who doesn’t love a big cooked ham over Christmas? While ham can be slightly higher in salt than you’d like, it’s still a fantastic protein source and can help relieve the drudgery of the never-ending turkey.

People often cook their ham in cola or with a honey glaze to add sweetness, but you’re better off boiling or slow roasting it as it is to keep the calorie count down, then adding condiments such as mustard or low-sugar chutney after cooking.

Sweet Potatoes

Instead of your usual high-carb, fast-digesting, nutrient-deficient white potatoes, switch over to the sweet variety. They’re not actually any lower in carbs, but they’re much higher in vitamins and minerals. Plus, they taste so much better. You don’t need to add a ton of fat or flavoring to them – just boil and mash, or roast them in the oven with a dash of olive or coconut oil, salt and pepper and spices such as cinnamon, cayenne or cumin.

Fruit

It may be a bit old fashioned to give satsumas and clementines as stocking fillers, but they’re much healthier than candy, chocolate and sweets. Citrus fruits fare pretty well on the sugar scale, so fill your fruit bowl over Christmas to give you that sweet craving-buster and help you avoid the usual temptations.

Vegetables

This one had to be coming. Christmas is the one time of year when people actually seem to go out of their way to eat vegetables, so we may as well make the most of it.

When it comes to vegetables, you pretty much can’t go wrong with anything green – broccoli, green beans, cabbage, peas, cauliflower and even the dreaded Brussels sprouts are all great additions to your dinner plate.

You don’t have to complete avoid all your favorite foods and traditional holiday treats over Christmas, but it is all about moderation and planning. Stick to your regular diet as much as possible, and make sure you do have healthy options in your fridge, so you don’t end up with huge cravings for calorie-laden junk foods.