If your life is anything like mine at the moment there are Christmas parties for children, work, mother’s group, clients, neighbours and family happening every week. And as much as I love Christmas and catching up with family and friends, the food and alcohol overload is very real.
If you are doing your best to manage a health condition at the same time, it can be challenging to navigate the food and keep in mind those anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, plant protein and fish that can help keep our health on track.
Here are 4 tips I hope you find helpful:
- 1. Plan in advance: I like to look up the restaurant menu before going out to see what meals are available that include anti-inflammatory ingredients, rather than trying to mingle and make a healthy decision at the same time.
- 2. Keep to your usual eating routine around Christmas functions: many of my clients tell me if they skip meals to “save up” for the Christmas function, they tend to eat a lot more than they intended, and often the foods they would like to only enjoy in small portions, and tend to be inflammation promoting. Eating your usual meals can remove the situation of turning up starving and eating fast and too much!
- 3. Join the festive spirit with sharing – if there is a dessert you would really like to taste or a few dishes that catch your eye, sharing with friends can mean you feel satisfied without over eating.
- 4. Where possible when asked to contribute food to a party or I am the host, I go for great anti-inflammatory recipes from our cookbook, that are perfect for summer festive eating. For example:
- Pomegranate salad
- Chargrilled vegetables
- Special baked salmon
- Fruit salad with maple and ginger drizzle
- Banana and nut slice
- Strawberry, papaya and carrot ice-blocks
I also think our nut butter recipes look great in little jars with Christmas ribbon, or the raw date and nut balls wrapped in cellophane, for a fabulous Christmas gift!
If you would like these recipes to plan your own anti-inflammatory Christmas feast, please download your copy below.
Wishing you and your family a Christmas full of joy, laughter, great food and relaxation!!