Sam Fuller

Dip ION mBANT - Nutritional Consultant

Sam's articles Eating well over the christmas period

It is easy to overlook the nutritional quality of our children’s food over Christmas. December is the month of plenty with school and nursery parties, mince pies and huge tins of sweets.  As parents our minds are fixed on getting the Christmas shopping finished, wrapping and storing those secret presents away from inquisitive eyes. It’s time to get through all the office parties and turkey dinners leading up to Christmas too!

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a happy, healthy festive period for the whole family:

1. Help your children make healthy hampers for their nursery or school teachers.  Decorate a box with colourings, cotton wool for snow and glitter for a Christmassy effect.  Hampers can be filled with gingerbread men, wholemeal cookies, dark chocolate, oat biscuits, fruit tarts, satsuma’s, nuts (if you know they don’t have an allergy) and dried fruits.  Wrap with a bow to finish off this personal and healthy gift.

2. Smoothie Fruit Pies – alternative ingredients for traditional mince pies are Ella’s Kitchen Red and Green Ones, for a festive finish. 

Christmas day dawns:

1. Have a healthy start to Christmas Day with scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast fingers for you and your little ones (add some smoked salmon for a big treat).  This complete protein will help to fill those hungry tummies and prevent them diving into the sweet tin before lunch.  Or add a festive touch to cereals and muesli with nuts, seeds, satsuma’s, cranberries or berries.  If time is short squirt a colourful portion of Ella’s Kitchen pureed fruits on top.

2. Christmas Turkey has replaced Goose as the favourite bird for lunch!  This is no bad thing as turkey contains more protein and less fat than goose or even duck.  Try to avoid the skin as this is where lots of fat is hidden.  Heaps of vegetables are another traditional part of Christmas lunch.  Did you know that many people will eat more fruit and veg on Christmas day than on any other day of the year. And with so many different varieties to choose from, it should be easy to reach your five daily portions - select from a rainbow of colours.  Did you know that different coloured vegetables contain different nutrients?  When cooking vegetables remember not to add salt and steam them to keep flavoursome and nutrient rich.

3. Desserts – fruit cake made from wholemeal flour, rice pudding (Ella’s Kitchen product?), Trifle made from a rainbow of coloured fresh fruits with natural yoghurt, grated dark chocolate and sprinkled with oats, nuts and seeds (make sure your guests are not seed or nut allergic).  Our Ella’s Kitchen mince pies are a favourite dessert for our little friends too.

4. Pace yourself throughout the day – eat slowly and chew your food well.  My clinic is brimming over with patients in January that have overeaten during the Christmas period and are suffering with sore stomachs, bloating and IBS!  Take your time, enjoy the day, remember Boxing Day is round the corner and the Feast will begin again! 

My children love Christmas Lunch with all the family round the table – a time to enjoy one another, reflect on a successful 2008 and anticipate a very Happy 2009.