Christmas is undoubtedly a time for celebration, spending time with loved ones and enjoying all of the festivities and food. And, whilst you may be mindful of your consumption choices throughout the year, Christmas is a notorious time for (over) indulgence, particularly when it comes to high sugar content food and drink such as chocolate boxes, bowls of sweets and alcohol.
Snack mindfully
By making a few easy swaps and being mindful of alternative options, you don’t have to cut back on all the things you love this Christmas. Here are a few simple tips on how you can help to cut back on the sugar this year, with absolutely no compromise!
Read food labels
Educate yourself about what you’re putting into your body by spending a little bit of time looking at food labels. If the list of ingredients is long, sugar is bound to be included on that list. Look out for how many grams of sugar are in the item and choose things with the lowest number. A simple way to remember sugar quantities is that one sachet of sugar from a coffee shop equates to one gram.
Mindful snacking
With selection boxes, tins of sweets, biscuits and chocolates lying around, the temptations at Christmas can be hard to say no to. Often we find ourselves grazing throughout the day while we wait for Christmas lunch to be cooked – and grazing again during the evening! To avoid those post-sugar slumps on Christmas day, swap biscuits and chocolates for bowls of delicious mixed nuts or vegetables and dip. Don’t forget that dried fruit is packed full of sugars, and even in its natural form will still impact your blood sugar levels.
Choosing your tipple
It’s a well-known fact that alcoholic beverages like wine, prosecco and champagne are crammed full of sugars, but cutting these out of your Christmas day festivities may not seem like an easy option. Luckily, as if by a timely Christmas miracle, SlimLine Wine has created the world’s first zero sugar, zero carbs wine range, so you can enjoy all the flavour and all of the alcohol with no compromise. With just 370 calories per bottle and 0g of Sugar vs around 26g in regular bottles, the range is available in Super Sparkling White and Pink, Really Red and crisp White and with all the strength and taste of regular wine just without the nasties, why wouldn’t you?
Eliminate processed food
Where possible, opt for fresh, whole, seasonal foods, as close to their original form as possible to make sure there are few to no processed sugars. Eating food in its natural form is great for our bodies, so have a look at fresh food options when shopping for your Christmas day meal. Traditional Christmas dinners are perfect for enjoying a variety of delicious vegetables, and if you can choose organic supplies, even better!
Get enough sleep
Although it can be difficult to get enough sleep during the hectic Christmas period, making sure you have a good night’s sleep is crucial for helping your body to function properly. When we get tired we often consume sugar to replenish our energy, but we are all familiar with the dreaded sugar crash that can follow large intakes of sugar. If Christmas day festivities are getting a little exhausting, don’t be afraid to pop upstairs for a quick nap!
Remember – sugar isn’t something you can’t have, but if you can avoid it, without compromising on your Christmas festivities, why wouldn’t you?!
The SlimLine Wine range launches on December 14th, available in Super Sparkling White & Pink, Really Red and Crisp White, from www.slimlinewine.com.