How to have a heart healthy Christmas

Unfortunately, another Christmas tradition for many of us is overindulgence, with festive treats, tipples and too many mince pies leaving many of us feeling rather sluggish and unhealthy come January.

However, Christmas doesn’t have to mean spending the new year clawing back our health.

Here’s how to have a very merry Christmas whilst still being kind to your heart.

Snack smart The main event on Christmas Day may be the lunch, but making sure you have breakfast will help to stop you picking at fatty and sugary foods during the morning.

Make breakfast a treat by serving poached or boiled eggs or a fruit platter with some fresh, wholegrain bread or toast – it might just stop you reaching for those mid-morning chocolates! Make mine mini: smaller portions mean fewer calories, provided you don’t eat twice as many! Choosing bite-sized mince pies is a great idea. Top the pie with a star or holly leaf shape rather than a pastry lid to reduce the total amount of pastry and saturated fat.

Don’t leave fruits languishing at the bottom of your Christmas stocking.

The big festive feast Turkey meat is naturally lean, but the skin adds to the saturated fat content considerably. Remove it before you serve the turkey and you’ll cut the fat by up to half.

Even if you’re not keen on vegetables, make sure you have a good helping of them. Boil or steam them rather than roasting to keep the calories down.

Watch out for salt in sauce: the salt content of bread can vary widely, so make sure you read the nutrition information when you’re selecting one for your bread sauce and try to go for a loaf with less than 1g of salt per 100g.

Portion distortion: if your best plates are much bigger than your everyday ones, you might want to think twice about getting the fancy china out. Bigger plates mean bigger portions, which can leave you uncomfortably full, not to mention the extra calories, saturated fat and salt that come with a bigger portion.

Be a healthy host If you’re having people over, there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re not stuffing your guests as well as the turkey.

Use your turkey leftovers wisely – a turkey curry can come laden with cream and salt but it doesn’t have to be an unhealthy option.

Add lots of vegetables and lentils and make the spicy sauce tomato based. It will go further and give your guests a healthier twist on a post-Christmas classic.

If you’re planning a three-course meal or a meal that comes with lots of accompaniments, serve smaller portions.

Make sure you provide plenty of vegetables or a salad alongside the main dish so your guests can fill up on these and help them to get their 5-a-day.

Avoid adding salt when you’re cooking and don’t automatically put the cellar on the table – your guests may not think about adding it if it isn’t there already. Try having little dishes of flavourings that complement your meal, such as fresh herbs, chopped chillies, lemon wedges or simply freshly ground black pepper