Well, the good news it is that we’re here to help! Of course, if you want the kind of Christmas where you dive into every kind of extravagance imaginable then there’s nothing wrong with that – you must do what your heart (and Father Christmas) tells you. But if you’d rather not spend the New Year shifting festive pounds and want to have at least some days of the season hangover-free, then here’s some tips for a healthier Christmas!

Swap Around Your Nibbles.

If we all eat approximately 8 gazillion calories over the festive season (give or take), then at least two-thirds of that is made up of nibbles. Brilliant, delicious, irresistible nibbles that are impossible to ignore even when your stomach is threatening to leave you if dare eat one more thing. So what are your options if you don’t want to eschew snacks entirely, but would like some healthier options?

• Lots of nibbles are very pastry heavy. Rather than having things like vol au vents, sausage rolls and quiches, skewers of chicken, prawns or vegetables will be better for you and equally yummy. They also neatly dodge the red-meat snacks like cocktail sausages. Pate or hummus with carrots sticks is another option, as are super-healthy lettuce cups with various fillings.

• There’s lots of bad-for-you but tempting things that are just hanging about the house at Christmas. There’s no reasons not to have some of these them, but you can give yourself more choice by adding some wholesome nibbles into the mix. Filling bowls with satsumas, unsalted nuts, olives, popcorn or pumpkin seeds rather than chocolate and crisps is one idea.

• Grapes are usually bit of an afterthought on a cheese board. Try eating quite a few more grapes and fair amount less cheese (we know it’s difficult, cheese is very hard to resist). Goats cheese and feta may also be better choices than hard cheeses like cheddar and parmesan. They are more flavourful so you need less, and they have fewer calories per ounce. Also, camembert is slightly less fattening than brie.

Cutting Down on Alcohol

Even a small amount of alcohol affects our sleep, which is why despite all the feasting and relaxing people tend to look worse rather than better returning from the Christmas holidays. One too many hangovers can make you feel drawn-out and generally under the weather, and booze adds extra calories at a very calorific time of year. Whether you want to have an entirely dry Christmas or to simply drink less, here’s some ideas to help out.

• Soda water is your friend. Soda water has zero calories, and is FIZZY! Which is very exciting. You can add soda water to fresh fruit juice for something refreshing – cutting down on sugar while still getting all the lovely vitamins. You can also drink in a sensible fashion by topping up a little wine with soda water, an option that will get you far less sloshed.  Mixing up your drinks (and not in a “I may have some whisky after my wine” kind of way) will make for a much healthier Christmas.

• You can also get your mocktail on. You don’t have to stick to lemonade if you’re having a night off the sauce, there are lots of Christmas mocktail recipes here if you want something a bit fancy and festive.

• On a festive night out, avoid buying rounds. The problem with buying rounds on a night out – apart from the fact they are expensive and there’s always at least one person who mysteriously loses their wallet every time it’s their turn – is that it forces you to keep up with the bigger drinkers. There’s always that person who can drink twice as much as anyone else, and once you’re all dribbling on the floor, they swan serenely out of the pub before getting up the next day to fight a bear. It’s impossible to keep up with these people – who quite possibly have eight livers – so buy your own drinks and go at your own pace.

• Try some alternatives to mulled wine. Mulled wine is lovely, but while some of the alcohol will evaporate away it can still have 8- 13% ABV and lots of sugar. Having a warmed cider instead is one way to cut the alcohol content (although some ciders can be deceptively strong – make sure to check the label!) while mulled apple and cranberry juice is delicious and cuts alcohol out altogether.

That’s it for today, but we’ve got another instalment of healthy Christmas tips to come!