For most people the festive season isn’t a time when they would consider themselves to be eating a particularly healthy diet and of course, why should they?
The Christmas period is of course is a time when overindulgence of Christmas food is generally the norm and if it lasts around one week a year, it doesn’t do too much harm in most cases.
However, amongst the festive decorations and family games, many traditional Christmas foods and drinks bring a surprising number of nutritional benefits to the table.
In this blog, I will delve into some of these delectable delights and highlight the large array of health benefits of traditional Christmas food.
Turkey
In traditional households, a turkey is likely to be the centerpiece of the Christmas table and probably the most well-known Christmas food.
The white meat of the turkey is both low in fat and packed full of protein. This is a macronutrient your body needs to build and repair tissues. With turkey being low in fat it is a great source of lean protein.
This Christmas food is also packed full of the nutrients selenium and zinc. Both are needed for good skin health and to boost our immune system (Read more about essential nutrients for the immune system).
Turkey is also high in the amino acid tryptophan. This amino acid is needed to produce the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin. Therefore, turkey is a fantastic addition to the diet, when looking at how we can modify the diet to improve our mental well-being.
Tryptophan can also help induce sleep, therefore sticking the leftover turkey in a sandwich an hour before bed can be a great way to help us drift off into a restful sleep.
Brussel Sprouts
Certainly, a vegetable that divides opinion, but love them or hate them it can’t be denied that they are a nutrition powerhouse. Packed full of vitamin C, they are great to help keep those winter coughs and colds at bay with their beneficial impact on the immune system.
Brussel sprouts are a Christmas food that is also rich in antioxidants, helping neutralise free radicals which cause inflammation, which can lead to various diseases.
They are also a great source of fiber, helping optimise gut health.
Cranberry Sauce
Often added to the turkey dinner, cranberry sauce is another Christmas food that can deliver a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Like brussel sprouts cranberry sauce is rich in both immune-boosting vitamin C and inflammation-dampening antioxidants.
What’s more the juice of cranberries has been shown to reduce inflammation and increase HDL ‘good cholesterol’. Therefore, adding it to your Christmas turkey has much more than just taste benefits!
Roasted Chestnuts
A very popular snack at Christmas markets, the roasted chestnut is another health-boosting Christmas food.
This edible fruit contains several protective antioxidants including vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin. It also contains polyphenols which are plant compounds that help protect us against chronic disease.
They are also high in prebiotic bacteria, helping feed the friendly bacteria in our gut, boosting both our gut and immune health.
Carrots
Rudolph’s favourite snack is also good for us! They are delicious roasted, boiled, steamed, or mashed with turnip, but also very nutritious.
They are packed full of carotenoids including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein, which can help protect our vision, hence why your parents used to say, ‘if you eat your carrots you’ll be able to see in the dark’.
Carrots are also another rich source of vitamin C, so give a great boost to the immune system, lessening the chance of that festive cold.
Parsnips
Parsnips’ sweet taste and soft texture make them a popular Christmas food.
They are rich in two types of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, meaning they help diversify the gut microbiome, meaning there is an increased mix of beneficial microbes, which is great for optimising gut health.
They are a great source of active plant compounds that have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer properties.
One of these plant compounds called Falcarinol has been shown in animal studies, that may improve anxiety and depression-like symptoms, due to its influence on the feel-good hormone serotonin.
It is also another good source of vitamin C, helping charge up the immune system.
Christmas Pudding
Although Christmas pudding is quite high in sugar and calories, it does have some health benefits.
Dried fruits like sultanas, currants, apricots, and pears are highly nutritious, being rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Many Christmas puddings come with a mixture of chopped nuts, which are rich in healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
It’s also full of spices, many of which have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, with cinnamon even being a potent anti-microbial.
The high overall fiber content of a Christmas pudding also means it has a lower glycaemic index value than most sweet puddings you make or buy from the supermarket, meaning it will help keep your blood sugar more stable.
Mulled Wine
Nothing suggests Christmas is here more than a glass of mulled wine. Drank in moderation, mulled wine has a plethora of health benefits.
It is packed full of polyphenols including quercetin and resveratrol, which help reduce inflammation in the body and also help protect your heart. Quercetin is also known as a natural antihistamine, so great for protecting us against the symptoms of allergies.
The spices in mulled wine are rich in antioxidants, again helping reduce inflammation and even benefiting exercise recovery.
A Nutritional Gift
So, there you have it, as we revel in the joyous flavours and aromas of the festive season, let’s also appreciate the nutritional gifts that traditional Christmas food brings to the table.
From lean proteins to gut health optimising high-fibre vegetables and polyphenol-rich mulled wine, the Christmas feast can be a delightful celebration of both taste and health.
Embracing the nutritional benefits of festive foods allows us to enjoy the Christmas season guilt-free knowing that our plates are filled with joy, but also plenty of nourishment for our bodies.
If you are interested in how Nutritional Consultancy can improve your health using a grounded approach, which allows you to enjoy the odd treat as part of a balanced lifestyle please do get in touch and I will be more than happy to help.
