Merry Christmas: 12 healthy food swaps to stay fit through the festive season - TheHealthSite

Christmas is the time to enjoy yourself. It is the time for eating, drinking and being merry. You may be too absorbed in the festive mood that your diet and exercise regimes may take the back seats.

Related Stories

Being mindful while eating may help you stay fit and healthy without missing out on the festive fun. You can stick to your healthy eating goals during the Christmas with these healthy food swaps. Here are some healthy alternatives to replace your traditional calorie-laden Chritmas treats.

Red wine

If you plan to drink alcohol during the Christmas holidays, go for a glass of red wine or a spritzer. Compared to other alcoholic beverages, red wine has fewer calories. Red wine also contains resveratrol, an antioxidant helps prevent blood vessel damage and reduces bad cholesterol.

Roast turkey

Turkey is the most prominent recipe at your Christmas dinner table. Don’t deep fry this time, roast it instead. Roast turkey comes with fewer calories and less fat, but it is as tasty as the fried version.

Low-fat cake

If you’re making your own Christmas cake, choose the ingredients keeping your heart in mind. Look for those which are low in fat and sugar than traditional recipes. You can include lots of dried fruit. Going for the ready-made cake from the bakery shops, then reduce the portion of your intake. Go for small slices and leave the icing and marzipan.

Frozen grapes

Stay away from candies or desserts. You can kill your craving with healthy foods like frozen grapes. They are sweet and are also rich in antioxidants and other polyphenols.

Healthy pie

This Christmas, you can have baked apples over apple pie. The later is easier to make and contains fewer calories and much less fat and sugar. Also try swapping your pecan pie with pumpkin pie, which has fewer calories and less fat.

Avocados

Fresh avocados provide naturally good fats. Remove heavy cream from the dinner table, and replace it with mashed avocados.

Yogurt-based dips

You may want to dip your chips or veggies for a better taste. But that bowl of sour cream-based dip could take a toll on your health. So, swap it with Greek yogurt-based dips that contain fewer calories and less fat. Besides Greek yogurt contains protein, calcium and probiotics.

Dates  

Christmas and cookies can’t be separated. Having one or two may not do much harm to your waistline. But if you can’t resist yourself from having more, go for dates instead.

Dark chocolate

Swap white chocolate or milk chocolate with dark chocolate. Cocoa has antioxidants and can help prevent excess weight gain. But unfortunately, white chocolate contains no cocoa, but the dark ones.  Dark chocolate also possesses anti-inflammatory properties. So, choose your sweet treat choose wisely.

Mashed cauliflower

One of the popular recipes in the Christmas menu is the mashed potatoes. This starchy-treat can be beaten by mashed cauliflower. Cauliflower also contains more fibre and overall nutrients than potatoes.

Fruit salad  

Make your own trifle, and make it with sugar-free jelly, low-fat custard and fresh fruit. If you can avoid it altogether, go for an alternative such as fruit salad.

Published : December 25, 2019 12:08 pm | Updated:December 25, 2019 12:12 pm

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/diet/merry-christmas-12-healthy-food-swaps-to-stay-fit-through-the-festive-seasonhealthy-food-718598/

Bagikan Berita Ini