With the festive season now in full flow, many of us will be deciding what the ‘main event’ will be for the Christmas meal. With lots of choices available, what will be on your menu? It’s certainly fair to say that any Christmas meal can really deliver a nutritional punch.
Clinical Nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, discusses some of the popular, delicious, and healthy options.
Turkey
Whilst turkey is of course the traditional meat on Christmas Day for many of us, it’s not everyone’s favourite as it can often become dry during the cooking process. Turkey contains less fat than other meats hence one of the reasons it often seems lacking in moisture and flavour too.
However, being in low in fat is also a positive attribute making it slightly lower in calories too. Turkey is higher in protein than chicken and is a great source of vitamin B12, needed for energy and the nervous system.
Chicken
Whist chicken is still relatively low in fat compared to red meats, if you’re looking at fat content, then try to avoid eating the skin. And whilst it’s slightly lower in protein than turkey, chicken is still a great option and certainly makes up for it in the B-vitamin stakes, containing all eight of them. This powerful family of vitamins fulfil so many varied and key roles in the body, but essentially, they’re very important for energy production, which could be very useful over the Christmas period!
Chicken also has a good mineral profile and it’s worth noting that the dark meat has as much iron and zinc as the light meat.
Goose
Many years ago, goose was the bird of choice for a traditional Christmas meal. Clearly, goose is a fatty bird (the fattiest of all meats). However, if you cook the bird on open oven shelves, with a large tray to catch the goose fat, much of it can be drained away.
And whilst both turkey and chicken are high in B vitamins, goose contains almost three times as much riboflavin (vitamin B2) as chicken, which is good for the brain. It also contains twice as much vitamin B6, great for supporting hormones.
Duck
If you eat the duck skin along with the meat, then its fat content is high. However, the meat alone is just twice as high as chicken. Thought I am outlining fat content for these different protein options, fat is not the enemy: it’s essential for many key body functions, especially the immune system.
Duck is often popular at Christmas, and it partners brilliantly with traditional plum sauce. Whilst duck is high in the mineral iron, which is great for energy, plums also provide some additional minerals in the form of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. And for those not liking the texture of turkey, duck could make a great alternative, being a much softer, and often tastier meat.
Nut Roast
Clearly, there are many recipes for nut roasts, but if you’ve serving this dish for Christmas, then you might want to make it extra special. A nut roast is always going to provide loads of nutrients, especially those needed to support the immune system. Plus, nuts (especially walnuts) are a great source of protein and also the super-healthy omega-3 fats.
If you use butternut squash as a base, with lots of garlic, onions, mushrooms, lentils and herbs and spices, then you’ll definitely be enjoying not just the taste, but a wealth of amazing health benefits too.
Whatever your festive choice, each one will provide plenty of health benefits, so you can enjoy them even more!
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