HEALTH experts have shared their top tips to eat and drink what you want this Christmas but keep the weight off while ditching the diet.
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| Stay healthy and happy with these festive tips |
The average Briton puts on 4lbs between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day after consuming TWICE their recommended calorie intake.
On Christmas Day 31 per cent of people will also gorge on 8,530 calories - triple a man’s daily advised intake of 2,500 calories and FOUR times a woman’s at just 2,000 per day.
Worryingly, it’ll take a third of us four months to shift our excess Christmas weight.
On top of this, the sleep deprivation we experience over winter means our tendency to reach for dense carbohydrates is at its peak.
A bad night’s sleep also impacts on glucose and energy levels, meaning those who are sleep deprived are often more prone to gaining weight.
If you want to enjoy your Christmas, sleep better and keep in shape, these tips could make things a little easier.
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| Limit your salt intake to prevent heart disease over Christmas |
. Swap the salt
As a nation we are all eating too much salt. Having too much can make us more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Why not get rid of the salt shaker from the dinner table and try flavouring your food with pepper, herbs, garlic, spices or lemon juice instead as a way to cut down?
2. Think about heartburn
For many, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without indulgent food like mince pies, cheese boards and late night partying. However, these rich and fatty foods, large meals and alcohol are all typical culprits for triggering heartburn.
Helen Boardman, a pharmacist and lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Nottingham University, said: “Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the associated food and drink, however for heartburn sufferers, many of the joys of Christmas can trigger heartburn, which can not only affect their enjoyment but also leave them feeling like they have no control over it.
“Finding a way to manage their symptoms can make a real difference.”
3. Keep a drinks tally
Drinking too much can increase your risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm, high blood pressure and having a stroke.
Maureen Talbot, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation said: “Keeping a tally of how much you are drinking is an easy way to see if you need to cut back to keep within the recommended limits.”
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| Avoid cranberry sauce for gut health |
4. Enforce portion control
Looks can be deceiving when it comes to food.
Large portions can contribute to over-eating and there is a tendency for us to over-estimate how much food we should be consuming and for overindulging over the festive period.
Knowing and controlling your portion sizes can help you maintain a healthy weight.
5. Consider your digestion
Steve Riley, Community Pharmacist said: “Try to make sure you get some of your five a day fruit and vegetables, without them being covered in cream, sugar, chocolate or cooked in fat.
“You could even steam your vegetables with your Christmas dinner. Remember to eat food slowly, chew thoroughly and watch your posture whilst eating as slumping or slouching can put pressure on your stomach.”
6. Go for a family walk
Keeping physically active can help you maintain a strong and healthy heart. It can also help you keep your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure in check. To keep yourself active over the Christmas period.
Between 19 December to 3 January 2016, Ramblers host their Festival of Winter Walks and give you 2,500 routes to choose from.
7. Ditch the cranberry sauce
Around the festive period we all tend to overindulge which can leave us feeling bloated and gassy.
Etiquette expert Liz Brewer says; “Make sure you pick the right food combinations. Cranberry sauce might taste good on your turkey, but fruit and meat is not a great idea! Fruit’s simple sugars require no digestion, so if combined with other foods that do it will stay in the stomach and ferment.”
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| Walking is a great way to balance out the sins of Christmas |
8. Prioritise sleep
Sleepypeople.com recommend going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day over Christmas, to help your body clock.
According to research, the average adult needs 7-8 hours sleep per night. Chose the right bedding, too. Duvets with a high tog rating will trap warm air but are easily removed if you get too hot.
Lastly, avoid Christmas chocolates before bed - an increase in sugar levels can increase energy and disturb your sleep.
Seven Seas consultant dietician Helen Bond adds: “We cram in so much over the festive period – partying too many nights and hosting family and friends during the day – not always giving our bodies the rest it needs to recuperate! Too little sleep also causes leptin to drop and trigger hunger, while levels of our hunger hormone increase, telling the brain we need to eat – and not always the right healthy food choices.”
9. Make healthier swaps - but still enjoy the taste
Seven Seas consultant dietician Helen Bond says: “Choose vegetable oils (olive oil or sunflower oil) instead of lard for roasting as they are lower in saturates and high in polyunsaturates – good news for your cholesterol levels.
“For your roast potatoes and parsnips, cut them into larger chunks, this will mean that they absorb less fat during roasting than smaller pieces.
“Turkey is low in fat and high in protein, so tuck in – but leave the skin avoid lots more fat and calories.
“Replace your sausage meat stuffing with a chestnut or fruit-based version.
“Make bread sauce with skimmed or semi skimmed milk instead of whole and add garlic, cloves, nutmeg or onion to the milk for extra flavour.
“To make low fat gravy, pour the turkey juices in to a jug and wait for the fat to rise to the surface. Carefully pour or spoon off the fat before using the juices to make gravy.
“Lastly, serve Christmas pudding with custard made with semi skimmed or skimmed milk rather than whole, or low fat crème fraiche or greek yogurt rather than double cream or brandy butter.”
10.Make healthy New Years resolutions
Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation says: “Stopping smoking is the single best thing you could do to improve your heart health - smokers are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smokers, which is why it’s so important to kick the habit for good.”
Why not have it as your New Year’s resolution this year?
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