Christmas Dinner Alternatives

For most people it would probably feel a bit wrong to abandon the traditional Christmas dinner. A table groaning with wildly overestimated amounts of roasted goods is as intrinsic to the festive period as a spangly tree, and for many Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas with celery sticks for dinner. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t some tasty ways to make Christmas dinner ever so slightly healthier.

• Roast potatoes – they’re amazing. There are no two ways about it. And at Christmas, non-vegetarian types get the the joy of roasting them in goose fat, which for some reason is even better. But unfortunately, apart from being delicious, potatoes don’t have much about them nutrition-wise. You can up your vitamins and add a few points to your 5-a-day by mixing up your potatoes with sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips and roasting the lot.
• Another top tip for roasties that cuts the calories is to chop them a little larger than you might have otherwise – it uses less oil – and you can soak up any residue fat by placing them on kitchen towel before serving.

• Swap some of the unhealthier aspects of your Christmas dinner with something a bit better for you. For example, if you like pigs in blankets but they aren’t necessarily your favourite part of the meal, you can replace them with asparagus wrapped in Parma ham, or prunes in lean back bacon. Having a chestnut or fruit based stuffing rather than sausage meat is another option, as is replacing cream with custard on your Christmas pudding.

Think More Creatively For Christmas Nights Out

A succession of parties and trips to the pub can be pretty fun to begin with. But if you’re finding that the festive nights out and hungover days are taking it out of you or even (dare we say it?) becoming a bit boring, it may be worth thinking of some alternatives.

• For example, rather than just going someone for a few pints, you can head to a gig! Even a local band somewhere small with sticky floors can be a lot of fun, then the focus of the evening won’t just be getting a bit befuddled with friends, but enjoying some music and having a boogie. Furthermore, if do happen to end up in a big venue, the drinks will be so expensive that you’ll have to sell a kidney to afford one, making it conveniently easy to avoid booze-calories.

• Staying in with a group of friends and cracking out some board games could end up being more entertaining than you’d think, and you won’t even have to worry about getting dressed up. Whether you’re admonishing the person whose snuck a few “loans” from the bank in Monopoly or basking in smug Julia-Caesar-like glory at your ruthless world take-over in Risk, this can be a much more social option than straining to hear people in a busy pub. Or you could have a movie marathon! Or build a den! There’s lots of indoorsy options.

• Presuming you don’t already have a family of your own, you can offer to babysit any young nephews/nieces/cousins/friend’s children you know and let their parents enjoy a rare night off. You have to have your wits about you when you are looking after some miniature humans, so you are guaranteed a wholesome evening of crafts, tuneless caroling and Christmas lists. And you’ll have loads of festive fun, as no one knows how to enjoy Christmas better than a bunch of over-excited kids.

There we have it! Lots and lots of ways to make Christmas a bit less of an assault on your mind and body. Check out our own alcohol-free evenings of brilliant music, tasty food and guided meditation known as The Gathering.