Turn on the TV, walk down the high street, scroll through social media or open a magazine if you dare – you’re about to be inundated by images and advertisements of people enjoying all manner of Christmas treats! There’s no shortage of brands and companies vying for our attention, and never more so than at this time of year. 

Chocolates, pastries, finger food, no end of bubbly, crisps and mince pies are everywhere we look in the run up to Christmas. Tempting enough, but if we’re doing our best to make healthier food choices, it can be even harder.

But not all festive snacks are terribly unhealthy, there are plenty of low calorie options!

Healthier Buffet Choices 

A finger buffet is literally a whole table, laid out with temptation. But with a few careful choices, you don’t have to consume high-calorie foods, and you don’t have to miss out either.

Look for chopped, raw vegetables such as carrots, celery and peppers. Crudités like these are crying out for a dip, so avoid anything that looks creamy and go for tomato-based salsa style dips or lower fat hummus instead.

Crisps wise, tortilla chips and twiglets are lower in fat and calories than thick cut, kettle style crisps.

If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to sausage rolls and other pastries, look for veggie or fish options on the sandwich platters. These are often lower in saturated fat than meat options, but avoid the cheese if you’re being really sensible. If you can’t resist, have one or two and savour the flavour!

Coping with Canapes  

A buffet is one thing, but if people are walking around offering you tempting treats without you having to so much as join a queue, things can get tricky.

Your best bet is to go for low-fat mini meat skewers (without dipping sauce) over anything made with pastry, fish-based toasts or rye breads over deep fried tempura prawns and cucumber canapes over anything with avocado. (As much as we love avocado, it’s very high in fat and calories!)

Stuffed eggs are a good bet too, as they’re high in protein so will keep you fuller and less likely to snack. Anything wrapped in lettuce rather than pastry will also give you lots of flavour, with fewer calories. 

Desserts Not Demons

Sweet treats are often the most difficult to wrestle with. Working out which are the better options can be tricky but as a general rule, creamy desserts are often amongst the most calorific. Unless you’ve made them yourself using low-fat cream, crème fraiche or custard, trifles, eclairs and fancy cream cakes are likely to be laden with sugar, fat and calories. 

Fruit cocktails, dark chocolate and sorbets are usually less calorific. Or opt for meringue, oaty biscuits or puffed rice cakes over heavy-looking cakes and pastries. 

Drinks wise, try to drink a glass of water between each alcoholic drink and choose prosecco or white wine over the more calorie-dense red wine. Be careful with cocktails too, they’re less calorific if made with real fruit juices rather than premixed, sugary syrups.

Enjoy!