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Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of nutrients and they contain hardly any fat. Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to keep your immune system up and running and you can enjoy the festivities properly.

For example:

• serve Christmas dinner with lots of vegetables for a balanced meal
• steam or roast vegetables to preserve more vitamins
• cook and serve without salt - try other flavourings like pepper or fresh herbs instead

• Fruit and vegetable information, including portion sizes Opens new window

Healthier Christmas

Tips for a healthier Christmas:

• try to eat breakfast on Christmas day as this will fill you up and you will be less likely to snack on chocolate
• cut potatoes for roasting into larger chunks – they’ll absorb less fat. Roast in a small amount of unsaturated (eg sunflower) oil for a healthier choice
• turkey meat is a lower fat choice for Christmas dinner; traditionally goose was eaten, but is much higher in fat
• try making your own gravy instead of using cubes or granules which tend to be high in salt
• serve a traditional Christmas pudding with natural yoghurt - or even some fresh fruit - instead of brandy butter
• if you’re having sweets, cake and crisps, try having them in smaller amounts
• during the party season, it’s easy to drink lots of sugary, fizzy drinks, but opt for water or fruit juice when you can or add a slice of lemon or lime to water to flavour it
• for healthy snacks, go for unsalted nuts, dried fruit or satsumas
• avoid getting uncomfortably full by eating more slowly - you will feel fuller having eaten less
• get active, rather than staying slumped on the sofa - take a brisk walk, play an indoor game or maybe dance away those calories

Defrost your turkey/poultry properly

Plan ahead and work out how long you will need to defrost and cook your turkey to avoid food poisoning.

• Safer Christmas eating - cooking and defrosting guides Opens new window

Food resolutions

Many people make resolutions about diet and exercise at the beginning of a new year. The Food Standards Agency has a list of the top ten resolutions taken and gives advice on how to stick to them.

• New year resolutions - food Opens new window

More useful links

• Food Standards Agency Opens new window