5 Tips To Help You Stay On Track This Christmas Day

Our expert in nutrigenomics, Carlotta Petti, gives us her favourite tips to help navigate everyone’s favourite time of the year.

21 Dec, 2021

Nutrition

Tips & Tricks

Wellness

Wondering how to approach Christmas day in a healthy way without compromising on the festive fun? Carlotta Petti, our Registered Nutritionist and expert in nutrigenomics, has shared her five healthy tips for enjoying the day!

1. Have breakfast

breakfast foods

It’s easy to think skipping this important meal is a good way to save your calories for Christmas lunch and dinner. Although this can work for some of us, the majority of us need breaky to keep our hunger levels stable throughout the day and to stop us from overeating later on. By having breaky, you will naturally not feel the need to go crazy on the festive food! Carlotta recommends to keep it small and include a source of protein, healthy fats, and fibre from wholegrains, fruit and/or veggies for a balanced breaky that promotes satiety.

2. Portion control

serving food

To practice this, use a smaller plate and serve yourself. When filling up your plate, Carlotta says to aim for half the plate to be veggies, a quarter of it to be protein (leaner cuts like turkey or chicken are best), and the other quarter for some starchy carbs (e.g. pasta, bread etc.) and healthy fats if you wish. Also, before you go back for seconds, try waiting 20 minutes. This is the time needed for your brain to receive your stomach’s signals that it’s full!

3. Be kind to yourself and practice mindful eating

enjoying a treat with friend

It’s Christmas day and you are allowed to enjoy your favourite desserts or eat a bit more than you usually would – so don’t stress, but remember, moderation is key! Carlotta suggests trying a little of everything you’d like, savour every bite, eat slowly, enjoy the company and talking to your family and friends, which will also slow down your eating and help you avoid eating too much!

4️. Go for wholefoods when approaching the Christmas platters

healthy platter

To prevent you from feeling sluggish or having a sugar crash before lunchtime, choose wholefoods rather than mindlessly going for the chips and chocolates (unless of course you really want them – see 3)! Carlotta suggests small amounts of foods like nuts, fruits, cheese, veggie sticks, hummus, tzatziki, baba ganoush, pesto dips and/or seeded crackers are some great options to snack on before lunch is served.

5. Stay hydrated

lemon water

Most of us will enjoy a few drinks on Christmas day, so don’t forget to have a glass of water in between drinks and go for non-alcoholic alternatives if you can! Another bonus of staying hydrated: having a glass of water before meals has been shown to reduce appetite and help you feel fuller for longer, meaning it will naturally limit your food and alcohol intake!

Good nutrition can start today

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