How to stay healthy over Christmas.
Christmas is always an exciting time of year, but it can be easy to get overrun with glut and excitement. So much so, that we sometimes forget all the hard work we’ve managed to maintain throughout the year. While it may take discipline to say no to bottomless glasses of prosecco or one too many pigs in blankets, we’ve compiled a few recommendations to help you make healthier food choices during the festive period and start next year feeling like your best you!
Opt for lower calorie alcohol options
We know the festive period is the time of year when we like to crack open a bottle of bubbly (or plural!) to celebrate with our loved ones but are you wondering how you can do this without feeling quite so guilty? For a lower calorie alcohol option why not try: Vodka and Soda Water, Gin and Slimline Tonic, Martini and a Margarita with a freshly squeezed lime!
Stay hydrated
Maintaining steady levels of your fluid intake throughout this time of year plays a huge role in feeling healthy, especially with increased alcohol consumption. We suggest boosting your fluids by drinking a substantial amount of water to reduce water retention, reducing caffeinated beverages, fruit and herbal teas, warm honey and lemon and lemon water - staying hydrated doesn’t have to be tedious!
Up your vitamin intake
Finally, this may be an obvious tip, but we can’t stress just how valuable vitamin and mineral intake is during these harsh Winter months. Keeping on top of your vitamin intake pre, during and post Christmas may seem like a bit of a chore, but it’ll do wonders for your body, we promise!
Vitamin D
One of the most valuable vitamins we all need to be consuming on a daily basis is Vitamin D - “the sunshine vitamin” as it’s sometimes known. You can get a substantial amount through oily fish, butter, fortified foods, egg yolks and mushrooms. With shorter and darker days, it’s quite difficult to get as much vitamin D as we need from just our diets alone so it is worth considering supplementation.
Vitamin C
While vitamin C won’t completely prevent you from getting a nasty virus, it’ll certainly help in boosting your immune system to fight off any bug that you may have, and help banish those runny noses quicker. This can be consumed via citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflowers and yes, our favourite Christmas food item - Brussels sprouts!
Iron
Iron will help you to regulate your body temperature by producing haemoglobin, in other words, helping you stay warm this Winter and that can only be a good thing! Eating plenty of beans, pulses and leafy greens will definitely help with this.
Vitamin B
Collectively, the B vitamins are a good way to ensure that you remain energised, whilst looking after the cells in your body. However, during the Winter months, Vitamin B12 is the one you want to focus on as it can significantly boost your mood and energy levels by keeping your nerves and brain function at an optimum. Eat fortified tofu, cereal, non-dairy milk and nutritional yeast, Marmite, seafood, cheese, dairy products and beef to up your B12 intake!
Vitamin E
Finally, Vitamin E is among the group of strong antioxidants that protect your cells from oxidative stress. If you’re lacking vitamin E, your muscles may feel weak, your eyesight may be affected and you could potentially be more prone to infections.
You can consume by eating nuts, seeds, seafood, avocado, butternut squash, broccoli, mango and kiwi
At the end of the day, Christmas comes around once a year so do make sure you enjoy it while it’s here. 2020 has been a difficult year and while it is key to relax and enjoy the festive period, do remember that looking after your health is so important as well. Have a wonderful Christmas from the whole team at Andra Health and if you want to book an appointment with any of our health practitioners, you can book online here.