how to have a healthy christmas

Use fresh green salads, fruit and vegetables as side-dishes, like a roast veg salad or combine and toss rocket, watercress, blanched sugar snap peas, salad sprouts and litchis for a tasty salad. Go for fruit-based dishes, they are great taste complements for meats, like turkey.

Avoid salads with creamy dressings and fatty add-ons, like traditional potato salad (see alternative recipe below) or vegetables with butter, cream or sugary sauces – eating too much of these high-fat foods may leave you and your guests feeling overfull.

Substitute high-fat ingredients with lower-fat or fat-free ingredients in recipes – most of the time, no one will know the difference. For example, instead of sour cream, use low-fat plain yoghurt, or use frozen yoghurt rather than rich ice-cream.

Use healthier preparation methods where possible by not adding loads of fat and sugar – this will keep the energy content of the different dishes you are serving down. Use herbs and spices to flavour your dishes.

If you’re preparing and serving two meat dishes, make one a richer meat (like roast, stuffed turkey) and the other a lighter meat – like fresh grilled fish, for a change.

Try this zesty and healthier alternative to conventional potato salad, with mayo and egg.

Crushed Potato Salad with Watercress

Boil about 700 grams of baby potatoes (the Mediterranean ones are great) with skin on, until soft. Drain the water and crush potatoes, breaking them roughly into bits with a fork. Add about 150ml of olive oil and mix through. Flavour with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir through about two handfuls of roughly chopped fresh watercress and serve immediately.