Light ´n´ healthy Christmas Day menu
(How to have your turkey without feeling like a pig)
By Catherine Saxelby
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The silly season is a major contributor to being overweight, as people let go of all dietary restraint and there are many more opportunities to overeat and over drink as part of the party celebration mood. Christmas Day itself is a major food fest and many people quote it as the day of their biggest food intake, especially if they have to show full appreciation to two families - each of which offers a groaning food table filled with the rich heavy fare.
A menu for health
This year, why not make the switch to a lighter less heavy Christmas dinner or lunch? Forget the traditional hot roast Christmas dinner! It's suited to cold wintry climates where Christmas is celebrated with the snow fall (save it for a "Half-way Christmas" in July when you can really enjoy it).
For our hot climate, try a menu like the one below which offers the best of the old ways served up in a cool and refreshing manner – perfect for an Aussie Christmas. It's healthier for you too and reduces the work load as much of it can be prepared the day before.
To start
Seafood platter with lemon, dill and a little tartare sauce
(Buy a selection of prawns, crab, oysters, mussels, sashimi and/or smoked salmon – whatever you like that’s fresh the day before at your fish shop or local fish markets)
Mains
Slices of cold lean ham off the bone
(Buy a half leg of ham from your butcher or supermarket – gives you plenty of ham for easy meals the week after Christmas)
Cold turkey pieces
(Cook the day before and refrigerate until needed)
Crusty bread rolls
Large tossed green salad
(Use a mesclun lettuce mix or buy 3 or 4 different lettuces; add sliced cucumber, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, snow peas as you like)
Potato salad
Or
Pasta salad
Or
Salad of your choice
(Coleslaw, Waldorf salad, salmon and rice salad, tomato and basil salad, etc)
To finish
Summer pudding
(Bread case filled with mixed berries)
Or
Home-made Christmas ice cream (see our easy recipe)
Or
Fresh fruit platter
(Buy what’s good, reasonably priced and in season eg apricots, mangoes, plums, cherries, grapes, berries and watermelon)
Serve with thick berry yoghurt as a dipping sauce
What to drink
Be sparing with your alcohol consumption on Christmas Day. By all means, enjoy a festive drink or two. Just keep in mind that alcohol is packed with kilojoules (calories) so it adds to your total intake and also weakens your resolve, enticing you to eat fatty or sugary things you normally wouldn't.
To start, drink a glass of water, mineral water or diet soft drink to quench your thirst. Then have something to eat before you have a drink - this will slow the absorption of alcohol into your system so you don't get too tipsy too quickly. Champagne/sparkling wine on an empty stomach is a killer because the bubbles cause the body to absorb alcohol more rapidly.
During the meal:
- dilute wine and spirits with ice and mineral water
- stick to light beer
- alternate a juice or sparkling mineral water between regular drinks
- if you're the host, offer jugs of chilled water with lemon slices, mint or a dash of lime for flavour.
Remember that drinks now often come in large over-sized portions so don't get caught by those fashionably big-balloon glasses.
- a standard glass of wine measures a small 100 ml, not 250 ml
- a standard beer is one middie, 285ml (full-strength) or two middies, 570ml (light beer).
Don't forget the non-alcoholic options:
- lime, soda and bitters
- non-alcoholic wine (eg Maison, Edenvale)
- Claytons and soda
- tomato juice
- grapefruit juice with mineral water
- ginger beer
- brewed soft drinks (tastes like beer, available from supermarkets)
- diet soft drinks
- iced tea with lemon.
Finally, do some exercise before the day is over:
- go for a swim
- go for a walk after dinner in the cool of the evening
- walk the dog
- play cricket in the back yard with the kids
- do some stretches or yoga before you tumble into bed.