How to stay healthy over Christmas

Wondering how you’re going to survive the holiday party season? Good Food nutritionist, Kerry Torrens shares her secrets for staying healthy over Christmas, avoiding overindulgence and beating the morning-after blues. “My diet is pretty good most of the time, as you’d expect” says Kerry, “but the party season is tricky. Here are my strategies for coping with the overindulgence and late nights that are an inevitable but enjoyable part of the festive season.”

Everything starts with breakfast

If I’m going out in the evening, I’ll start the day with a generous bowl of porridge, topped with a handful of cranberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Porridge stabilises blood sugar levels, which helps control appetite later in the day. I also add a good dollop of probiotic yogurt, which helps boost immunity as well as combat some of the less beneficial effects of the party season, like too much alcohol and not enough sleep.

Breakfast ideas:
• Cinnamon porridge with banana & berries
• Porridge plus
• Perfect porridge

Stay hydrated

On the day of a big night out, and the day after, I make a conscious effort to drink 6-8 glasses of water, or plenty of herbal teas or diluted juice. Even mild dehydration can lead to a headache and combined with the diuretic effects of alcohol makes maintaining your fluid intake so important. Regular teas and coffee count towards your fluid intake, but caffeinated versions shouldn’t make up your full quota. I sometimes struggle to drink enough when it’s cold, so I’ll take a full glass of water to bed with me at night and start the day with a second. I make sure I’ve drunk both before I have my breakfast.

Sensible snacking

If I’m hungry when I arrive at a party, I struggle to resist the canapés, so I always have a pre-party snack. One of my favourites is a small pot of plain yogurt with a sliced banana. The yogurt’s protein slows stomach emptying, which helps delay the effects of that first glass of wine while the potassium-rich banana helps balance any increase in my salt intake – especially helpful if I’m going to be nibbling on olives, crisps or salted nuts. I know I’m better off eating before I go to a party because I’m more likely to stick to my resolve when the canapés come round a second or third time. Other snacks which do the trick include granary toast with nut butter, a bowl of muesli with milk, or a mug of chunky vegetable soup.

Pre-party snack ideas:

• Peanut butter & banana on toast
• Italian vegetable soup
• Indian chickpea & vegetable soup

Back away from the buffet

Buffets can be a disaster zone – so I make sure I fill half my plate with salad and vegetables, and the rest with protein-based canapés like salmon and chicken. I take my time selecting and eating my food and I move away from the table as soon as my plate is full so I avoid non-stop grazing.

Canapés / buffet food:
• Thai chicken bites
• Sesame beef wraps
• Smoky chicken skewers

No more hangovers

Don’t be tempted to skip meals so you can stockpile calories for drinking. Alcohol only supplies empty calories, so avoiding proper meals to compensate for a booze splurge means you’re losing out on valuable nutrients, just when your body needs them to help it detoxify. I stick to one type of drink and I make it a lighter-coloured one because they tend to be lower in the chemical by-products that can worsen a hangover. I aim to have no more than one alcoholic drink an hour, alternated with juice, water or soft drinks – perfect if you don’t like holding an empty glass.
What to eat the next morning.

My best ‘morning after’ breakfast is a frittata or omelette packed with veg. I love mushrooms for their energising B vitamins, tomatoes for vitamin C and onions for their liver-friendly sulphur compounds. If I have spinach to hand I’ll add a generous handful because it’s a great source of folate which helps my body repair DNA. Eggs are an excellent choice for the morning after because they provide choline, a nutrient that supports the liver. Add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or a chopped chilli to boost circulation and rev up your recovery. If you can’t face a cooked breakfast then have a smoothie made with fruits like bananas, oranges or kiwi – these are rich in potassium which helps replenish the electrolytes lost due to the diuretic effects of alcohol.

Morning-after breakfast:
• Spanish spinach omelette
• Artichoke & roasted red pepper soufflé omelette
• One-pan English breakfast
• Forest fruit & banana smoothie

Get back on track

After a big night out I don’t skip meals, even if I have over-indulged. After all, it’s the balance of your diet that’s important. I apply the 80:20 principle – eating healthily 80% of the time, which allows me the space for delicious treats at weekends and on special occasions.

By Kerry Torrens – Nutritional therapist