Looking for the top healthy Christmas foods to add to your plate this year? From Christmas classics to surprising ways to change up your pudding, the experts reveal how to enjoy the season and stay feeling your best.
Christmas is a time for celebration and that often comes with a little deserved overindulgence. There's nothing wrong with kicking back and enjoying the festive season for all the glasses of Prosecco and mince pies it has to offer.
It is a season that can leave us feeling a little off-kilter though, with our normal eating habits put by the wayside. You might find that you feel the need to up your intake of vitamins or cut back on alcohol as the holiday goes on. If that's the case, we've got you covered. From healthy brunch ideas to top gut-healthy foods to include in your Christmas dinner, here, a dietitian and a nutritionist offer their recommendations for healthy Christmas foods to add to your table.
Healthy Christmas foods
1. Turkey
The traditional turkey is a fantastic quality source of protein, says Reema Patel, dietitian and London nutritionist. "It's an option that provides all of the essential amino acids our body can't make itself. These proteins help build and repair tissue, and keep our nails, bones, and hair strong," she says.
Turkey is also high in an amino acid called tryptophan, which is key in producing the hormone serotonin. "Often called the 'happy hormone', this is involved in [maintaining] our mood and helping us to relax," she says. Ever wondered why turkey makes you sleepy? This amino acid is to blame for that too, as well as the overindulgence that often comes with Christmas, of course.
"It's also a fantastic source of zinc and selenium, both important factors for our immunity and skin health."
2. Brussel sprouts
One of the top ways to improve your gut health, adding this controversial Christmas classic to your plate is a must for healthy digestion over Christmas, says Signe Svanfeldt, a registered nutritionist who works with health eating app Lifesum.
"These small green vegetables are loaded with fibre," she explains. "[They also have] folate, which is important for our cells, and beta carotenes, which transforms into vitamin A in the body, and is important for our skin and eye health."
3. Smoked salmon
Like all kinds of fatty fish, smoked salmon is packed full of Omega 3 fatty acids, which help the body function in day-to-day life. Over Christmas, when we're likely eating and drink more than we otherwise would, they can be particularly useful thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties.
"Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to consume as our body cannot produce these naturally, and they are involved in supporting health in a huge number of ways," says Patel. "They support our brain health and immune function, reduce inflammation, support heart health and eye health, and have links with helping to manage mood disorders such as depression, cholesterol levels, as well as being involved in hormone production."
3. Mocktails
If you drink, chances are that a few glasses of bubbly are essential for the Christmas season. However, as much as enjoying alcohol in moderation is largely considered acceptable by most major health bodies, there's no doubt it even moderate drinking a couple of times a week can leave us feeling a little rough around the edges by the new year.
Supplementing your drinks with low-sugar mocktails, featuring one of the best non-alcoholic spirits and a mixer, or one of the best non-alcoholic drinks in a can, can be a good way to mix things up.
Not only is alcohol one of the worst foods for gut health, but it can prevent the absorption of some key vitamins and minerals, and a hangover means you're also more likely to eat more high-sugar and high-fat foods you otherwise wouldn't.
4. Roast potatoes
Roast potatoes are high in vitamin C, says Patel, which is one of the top nutrients to prioritise over Christmas given the inevitability of colds and flu in winter.
"Aside from vitamin C though, potatoes are high in potassium, which is important for our fluid balance and heart health, and calcium, which is involved in managing the strength of our bones and teeth," she says.
Needless to say, if you want to make roast potatoes as healthy as possible, consider using one of the best air fryers to cook them rather than preparing them in goose fat or butter.
5.Green beans
Along with (or instead of) a healthy serving of brussel sprouts, other green vegetables should make an appearance on your plate if you're looking for healthy Christmas foods. Top choices include spinach, kale, and green beans, says Svanfeldt.
"Similar to brussel sprouts, green beans are high in fibre and rich in folate and vitamin K," she says. "This is essential for our blood health."
6. Red cabbage
Whether you steam, roast or pan fry this popular seasonal vegetable, it should be on your plate this year if you're looking for the top healthy Christmas foods.
"All vegetables contain antioxidants to some level, but red cabbage contains specific types of antioxidants known as flavonoids, which contribute to the red colour," says Patel. "These can help to reduce the free radicals that are harmful in large amounts. Red cabbage is also a good source of vitamins A and C, supporting our collagen production as well as immunity."
You may notice that red wine, often dubbed a 'healthy alcohol', doesn't appear on our list. Flavonoids are often the nutrient people refer to when talking about the so-called 'health benefits' of this beverage. However, thanks to the alcohol content of red wine, most of these benefits are quashed. Unlike red wine though, red cabbage doesn't contain alcohol so there's nothing to prevent the absorption of these key nutrients into the body when we eat them.
7. Root vegetables
Worried about the impact of the weather and winter skin this year? Root vegetables could be the answer, says Signe.
"Root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips are filling vegetables, ideal to roast in the oven with some herbs and spices. They are packed with beta-carotene, which is a nutrient that is important for our skin health," she says.
8. Cranberry sauce
Best when homemade but either way, cranberry sauce is the best sauce to pair with your turkey, potatoes and vegetables this year, thanks to the array of vitamins present in the ingredients.
"Cranberries are high in vitamin E, which is involved in our immunity and also contains powerful antioxidants," says Patel. "These help to reduce the build-up of free radicals, which are compounds that can damage our DNA and increase the risk of diseases such as heart disease and arthritis. Cranberries, as with any fruit, are a good source of fibre too, which is essential for our digestive health, blood sugar control and heart health." Looking to boost your gut health in winter? This could be the easy answer.
How can I have a healthy Christmas?
The winter holidays are a time to enjoy social occasions, traditions, and cosy nights in, along with the food and drink that comes with them. Restricting or changing your diet over the season is unlikely to make much difference, given it's just a few weeks at most, so you might as well enjoy it. However, if you are looking to incorporate healthier habits into your holiday this year, along with the best healthy Christmas foods, then the experts do have some ideas:
- Try to keep structure in your mealtimes: "Try to stick to your balanced three meals a day, if this is what you're used to having," suggests dietitian Patel. "This will help prevent large gaps in meals and reduce the likelihood of getting overly hungry, leading to overeating."
- Watch your alcohol consumption: "Alcohol doesn't provide any health benefits, but rather the opposite. Instead - drink water when thirsty, and if you want a festive drink: prepare mocktails," says Svanfeldt. Any of the alternatives to alcohol work for this and on the Lifesum app, which was rated one of the best health apps in 2023 by woman&home, there are plenty of recipes to choose from if you're stuck for ideas at home.
- Prioritise vegetables: "With meal times, aim to have at least 50% of the meals made from vegetables, so that you have a good intake of fibre and plenty of vitamins and minerals. This will help with keeping you satisfied for longer as well as bowel health and keeping us regular, which some people can struggle with," says Patel.
- Add more to your desserts: "Instead of skipping the dessert, think of things you can do to make it nutritious! Like choosing alternative sweeteners such as dates or ripe bananas. Whenever possible, choose the whole grain options for more fibre, and why not include vegetables, fruits and/or legumes in your baking? Carrots and shredded apples make cakes more moist, and black beans are a perfect base for chocolate cakes," says Svanfeldt.
Staying healthy at Christmas is about more than just food and drink though. With colder temperatures, it can be tempting to avoid a workout in cold weather. However, research from Appalachian State University reveals a little exercise in winter can do wonders for maintaining the immune system and boosting our gut health. So whether you take up Couch to 5k for the new year or create a wall Pilates workout to do at home, having a little movement in your day can make all the difference.
