Christmas is a time when your diet usually takes a back seat. Tasty treats are always on offer, alcohol is flowing constantly and you will probably eat more 3 course dinners this month than you will have done for the entire year. Whist it is almost inevitable that your diet will suffer over Christmas, if you follow a few simple steps you can make sure it does not completely fall apart. Today I am going to give you those steps with the Free Fitness Tips Christmas Diet Checklist.
1) CONSUME LOW CALORIE ALCOHOL
Don’t get too excited when reading this. I’m not saying you need to make sure you are drinking alcohol every day as part of your Christmas diet. However, when you do drink alcohol you need to keep an eye on the calories. Some alcoholic drinks contain over 600 calories per glass and when you consider how much you may be drinking over Christmas, this can quickly add up. To avoid all these excess calories see if you can drink something from the list below:
– Champagne = 100 calories per small glass.
– Low Calorie Beers = Between 84 and 106 calories per bottle.
– Low Calorie Cocktails = Between 100 and 200 calories per glass.
– Dry White Wine = 83 calories per small glass.
– Straight Spirits = 55 calories per single measure.
2) EAT SOME NUTRIENT RICH CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are often the enemy when it comes to Christmas. Chocolate, Christmas pudding, cake and mince pies are all high in calories and carbs but low in nutritional value. I’m not going to tell you to avoid these foods completely as that wouldn’t be any fun. However, try to make sure you are eating at least 1 low calorie, nutrient rich carbohydrate every day (more if possible) as part of your Christmas diet. This will supply you with the health boosting dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you need to keep your body going over the festive period. If you are not sure which healthy carbohydrates you should choose I have listed a few suggestions for you below:
– Apples.
– Bananas.
– Bell Peppers.
– Blueberries.
– Chilli Peppers.
– Green Peas.
– Mushrooms.
– Onions.
– Oranges.
– Spinach.
3) EAT SOME HEALTHY FATS
The chances are that you will be eating a lot of fatty foods this Christmas. Many of the carbohydrate rich festive treats listed above are also high in fats. However, if you are eating these foods you won’t be getting a good mix of healthy fats. Fortunately, this can be remedied by snacking on nuts every day. Not only are nuts a great source of healthy fats but they are also a brilliant source of dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. If you are not a big nut eater and don’t know where to start then give some of the nuts on the list below a try:
– Almonds.
– Brazil Nuts.
– Chestnuts.
– Hazelnuts
– Macadamias
– Pecans.
– Pistachios.
– Walnuts.
Getting high quality protein over Christmas is not difficult. After all turkey – the traditional Christmas dish is packed full of this cell building nutrient. So simply fill up on turkey at every opportunity and you will give your body more than enough protein over the festive period.
If you find that you are getting sick of turkey, eggs are another fantastic way to fit protein into your Christmas diet. All you need to do is cook a few up for breakfast a few times a week.
SUMMARY
If you try to stick to this checklist each day over Christmas, your diet should be in relatively good shape when you enter the New Year. Following the instructions above will allow you to get some healthy carbs, healthy fats, high quality protein and most importantly a good helping of micronutrients over the festive period. Whilst it is perfectly OK to enjoy yourself and indulge in the festive treats, using the Free Fitness Tips Christmas Diet Checklist will help keep you on track.
Now I want to hear your thoughts. Do you pay attention to what you eat over Christmas or do you give yourself a few weeks off completely? Do you believe it’s important to still get adequate nutrients even if you are enjoying festive treats? Let me know by leaving a comment.