Diet at Christmas

By Andris Vassilios, Dietitian-Nutritionist:

Christmas is a time when most people consume large amounts of food. Most of them, due to family obligations and social events, enter into eating temptations, as a result of which their self-restraint decreases.

For those who have fasted, the "return" to food must be done with great care. Due to the absence of specific foods for a long time, such as meat and dairy products, their abrupt return to the diet can cause problems.

Surely you have had a very tiring year and you consider Christmas to be a time of relaxation and reward for the difficulties and setbacks of the past year. So you relax, and enjoy all the Christmas treats, forgetting all the efforts to take care of your figure and health through a diet that you tried to follow throughout the year, reassuring yourself that after the holidays you will be back on schedule.

Do not overlook the fact that there are other ways to "reward" yourself, without burdening yourself with unnecessary calories and without adding another problem, that of extra pounds for the New Year.

The secret is to "disconnect" the meaning of the reward from the food and "reconnect" it with other activities of your choice, such as a small gift to yourself, meeting some friends you have seen for a long time or ride.

Nutrition Tips for Christmas:

1. Avoid adding fresh cream to pasta

2. Prefer potatoes in foil or even in the oven and not fried

3. Make a healthier sauce for your meals, with fresh tomatoes or vegetables of your choice.

4. Avoid boiling pasta in animal fat. Prefer vegetable broth and steam by flavoring the vegetables with spices.

5. Make the stuffing for the Christmas turkey healthier. Use vegetable oil or vegetable margarine instead of butter. Avoid large amounts of liver and add more rice and vegetables.

6. Use half the dose of nuts.

7. Prefer more dried fruits, such as raisins

8. You prefer vegetable broth for better taste

9. Prefer 1 egg whites instead of 2 egg

Instructions for a healthier festive table:

1. Do not go to parties hungry, eat something light at home 1 hour before.

2. Drink 1-2 glasses of water before your meal, thus filling your stomach.

3. When it comes to food, do not rush to fill your plate. Talk to people and have a light drink first

4. Prefer a main course, instead of appetizers.

5. Fill your plate once with the foods you are going to eat

6. Avoid fried and foods rich in butter and sour cream.

7. Choose white meat (eg fish, chicken, turkey) instead of pork, goat and lamb

8. Remove visible fat and skin from the meat

9. Accompany every meal with vegetables

10. Avoid sweets with a lot of fat (eg pastes) and prefer melomakarona and not too much.

11. Do not snack by hand, prefer cutlery for everything you eat

12. Before you eat a meal, sweet or appetizing, think about whether you really want it.

13. Always ask yourself the question "What do I have to lose if I do not consume it and what do I have to gain if I am satisfied with a piece or a healthier choice"

And always remember "excellent in every way"


Andri Vassiliou
Dietitian Nutritionist