Christmas meals can overwhelm us a bit, and that’s because many of us know what we’re dealing with. For children it is just a time when there are songs, dances, gifts, the family gets together, there are trips, etc. But for adults it is a challenge, especially if we are immersed in some specific type of diet or we have a healthy diet. That is why we have proposed to locate the healthiest foods for lunch and dinner at Christmas.
Christmas is a time of excesses, so it never hurts to know closely which foods are the best to maintain line, maintain our healthy diet and not suffer the consequences of excesses such as indigestion, gas, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, etc.
meats
Perhaps it is the most typical ingredient on these dates, so we want to propose some healthy options and move away from cuts of greasy meats, fried and red meats to give a chance to lean meats, low in fat and rich in protein.
Turkey
It is part of the magas meats, that is to say, it has little fat. The good and the bad of turkey is that, if it is cooked well, it is a meat that is very satiating and is enjoyed even more because it is so tasty. However, if it is not cooked well, it can become dry and it will ball in our mouths.
The turkey must be cooked and served in its juice and with a natural sauce or with vegetables , extra virgin olive oil, seasoned and we can fill it with vegetables that will give it a special and healthier touch. Their skin is healthy, the thing to avoid is to eat the parts burned by the oven, since that was shown to cause cancer.
Chicken
A very healthy meat, as long as we choose breast and thigh and leave aside its skin or skin. To give it a plus, we can cook it in the oven, like turkey, in its juice with few spices and accompanied by vegetables , but it is not recommended to eat the burned part.
Chicken provides essential minerals, vitamins and proteins for our body. Let us remember that it is a dish, and that later comes more food, so we will have to make small portions. Without forgetting the side dishes or hors d’oeuvres such as cheese, ham, rolls with pate, etc.
Rabbit
Rabbit meat is not very typical at Christmas, but it is a very good opportunity to offer a healthy dish that experts always advise since it is very low in fat and is perfect for those with hypertension, high cholesterol or overweight.
It provides good amounts of iron, magnesium and zinc, apart from important vitamins, almost no fat and if we cook it with sauce, we will give it a finger-licking touch. Again, the skin is not recommended and we must accompany it with vegetables, to make a healthier dish.
Fish
Fish should never be lacking in a healthy diet, especially when it comes to oily fish with how important it is. Fish provides us with some omega 3 and 6 that we can hardly achieve with other types of foods.
Tuna
A fish very rich in protein, low in fat and contains vitamins so important for the proper functioning of the body such as vitamin B3, B6, B12, D and E. Not forgetting minerals such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, sodium, selenium and potassium.
The good thing about tuna is that, when served at Christmas dinner, it helps the immune system and being in the middle of winter, this is very necessary to avoid the viruses and bacteria that attack our body from the outside.
Salmon
This fish is considered a superfood, and, like tuna and hake, it must be steamed to obtain its full flavor and nutritional value. The good thing about salmon is that it is rich in omega 3 and this helps our heart, it is also good for people with hypertension and diabetes.
It contains vitamins B12, B3, B6 and D , apart from minerals such as calcium, selenium and magnesium. If we accompany it with vegetables such as carrots, asparagus, pumpkin or potatoes, we are creating a nutritionally perfect dish.
Hake
This blue fish is delicious and can be eaten in tacos, steamed, baked, in stews, creams, grilled, etc. It is rich in omega 3, B vitamins such as B3, B2, B6, B9 and B12, without forgetting important minerals for our health such as iron, calcium, iodine, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
It is perfect for pregnant women and children , and more so if it is accompanied by vegetables, since we create a dish varied in nutrients and very healthy, given the low caloric intake.
Seafood
They are usually the main protagonists of Christmas lunches and dinners, especially in coastal areas such as southern Spain. Seafood is very healthy, as long as it is eaten with limitations and if we already have basic problems with uric acid, cholesterol and the like.
Clams
They are a food of high nutritional value, especially due to their amount of iron, calcium, potassium, proteins and vitamins of group B and omega 3. With clams we can make soups, we can put them as side dishes, or put them in a stew. Any excuse is good to give out a seafood as delicious and healthy as this one.
Clams are best bought fresh and served with the shell if it is going to be used as a decoration in a cream or soup, or serve without the shell in scrambled eggs, stews and fillings as is obvious. For example, croquettes, although everything that is fried is no longer healthy.
Prawns and prawns
If there is a popular ingredient in Christmas dinner and other Christmas foods and events, those are prawns and prawns, apart from lobsters, red prawns, crabs, lobsters and more. But prawns and prawns must be present, not only because of their importance on the table, but also because of their nutritional value .
They provide vitamins A, group B, D and E, omega 3 and minerals as key to the body as iron, calcium, iodine, phosphorus and selenium. They are two very similar species, so much so that they cook the same. To make it healthy, we recommend not adding too much salt and making them either raw with a shot of steam or on the grill.
Octopus
The benefits of octopus are many and above all for its contribution of vitamins B12, B6, B9 and E. Without forgetting the minerals selenium, iodine, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, zinc and magnesium. It also provides 30 grams of protein for every 100 grams of octopus and only 160 kilocalories.
It is best not to serve the octopus with hot spices since being at night, it could cause indigestion, gas, pain, bloating, etc. The best is in sauce, stews, in tacos in a salad or scrambled with vegetables, in empanadas or grilled with vegetables.
Nuts and seeds
They are the perfect ingredient for vegetable creams, hummus and other spreads, or to enhance sauces and salads. Nuts and seeds provide a multitude of vitamins and minerals in a very fast and direct way.
The best nuts are walnuts , in all their variants, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios . All of them must be natural or toasted, but none fried or with salt.
Regarding the seeds, the most complete and healthy are flax, chia, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, poppy, mustard and linseed. We can eat 2 to 3 teaspoons of seeds every day. We recommend buying a package with many different seeds. At Mercadona they sell a package with assorted seeds.
Soups and broths
We can take advantage of the shells of the fish and shellfish, as well as the thighs and other parts of the chicken or turkey to create broths, soups and vegetable or meat creams with which to start the Christmas menu.
Another very good option is a light pumpkin cream, asparagus cream, potato and leeks cream, light chicken broth, carrot cream, mushroom cream, etc.
On these dates there is an excess of food on the tables, and to top it off, it is eaten much later than usual, that without forgetting the quantities of each portion.
So starting with a warm broth can help our stomach to whet the appetite and start the digestive process. You should try to be light broths without hot spices, without much fat, or anything that can dull the stomach from the first course.
Desserts
In this type of copious meal there is usually room for dessert. Taking some nougat is normal, let’s not punish ourselves for it, or do strict diets the next day to compensate. This will only cause us to create frustrations, hatred, eat with anxiety, fear food, not enjoy the moment, etc.
Instead what we can create are healthy desserts, such as fresh fruit in pieces that we can mix with seeds and natural yogurt without sugar, or lemon vegetable yogurt that is very digestive. We can also make homemade recipes, but changing the sugar for erythritol (healthy sweetener) and using whole wheat flour, olive oil, quality margarine, etc.
We can also give the dessert a refreshing touch and create natural ice creams with water and fruits or yogurt and fruits. Another option is to beat the mixture, add natural pieces and put it in the mold. To give it a sweet touch, we can bathe fruits, ice creams in chocolate or add a little black cocoa to natural yogurt.
To drink
According to tradition, toasting with water is bad luck, what if we make water with natural flavors? Well, to get away from alcohol and soda and other sugary and unhealthy drinks, we can fill a jug with filtered water and add pieces of fruit. We let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours and that’s it.
If we are not convinced, according to the experts, to avoid dehydration, high blood sugar and not annoy the digestive system, you should drink a glass of clean, fresh water between each glass of alcohol . Wine is not healthy, and neither is beer or champagne, but it is difficult to say no on such special dates, so it only remains to reduce its consumption as much as possible and introduce water between glasses.
We can choose soft drinks, but let’s try to make them 100% sugar free. Even if they have sweeteners, these artificial sweeteners are usually bad for your health. Another idea is to choose teas, natural juices, only water, combucha, etc.
Vegan and vegetarian options
The vegan and vegetarian menu is quite extensive, we can prepare tempeh, textured soybeans to use in creams, stews and lasagna; vegetable patty; a vegetable quiche; scrambled tofu with vegetables; pumpkin and spinach burger; lentil, potato and broccoli meatballs; zucchini lasagna; stuffed aubergines, etc.
These types of meals are suitable for all diners , from children, to diabetics or heart patients, so if there is a vegan or vegetarian among those attending the Christmas dinner, we can offer a menu based on plants and intersperse with food. of animal origin such as cheese, ham or some seafood so that there is more variety.
