Healthy Christmas Dinner

Its festive time once again. With Christmas just a fortnight away, spirits are soaring high as we all look forward to the joyous occasion once again. However, most of the diet conscious people wince inwardly at the thought of a rich Christmas dinner and the calories that accumulate. But if you really contemplate about it you will find out that a traditional Christmas dinner is not unhealthy at all.

On the contrary, it has every potential to be a nutritious meal. Let us now see how we can enjoy a Christmas dinner without worrying unduly about putting on weight.

Roast turkey and vegetables accompanied by the traditional Christmas pudding and brandy butter along with a couple of glasses of wine can be termed as an average Christmas dinner.

Turkey meat is in fact very low in fat and extremely rich in iron. You can also remove the skin completely before cooking to get rid of even more fat. You can also opt for the lighter meat as the darker variety contains a little more fat. Moreover turkey is also rich in zinc, potassium and Vitamin B and can be a healthier substitute of chicken.

Roasted potatoes almost always follow the turkey during Christmas. Roasting the spuds in their skins help to preserve all the energy producing potassium as well as vitamins B and C. The skin will also help to retain certain minerals present just below and add the benefit of fibers to the meal as well. You can increase the nutritive value considerably by lightly spraying them with olive oil before roasting. You can also opt for boiled potato instead of the roasted variety if you are extra conscious of your health.

Choose the other vegetables with care in order to keep your Christmas platter teeming with health. Steamed carrots, peas and broccoli along with a salad of fresh greens look wonderfully attractive apart from adding to the nutritive value significantly.

It will certainly not do to forget the humble sprouts. Steaming them retains their color along with helping them preserve the cancer fighting ingredients, vitamins and minerals. Roasting the sprouts will also provide an indigenous touch to the traditional vegetables served with the Christmas turkey.