Healthy Foods for Christmas....

We are all excited when every time the Christmas season has come because it will not be completed if theres no eating.

Here are some ways to have a healthier and happier Christmas.

Sweets are a big treat during Christmas, especially for children and young carolers, so instead of giving away regular candies, try giving out some sugar-free candy. Baskin Robbins, famous for their ice cream, came out with some interesting sugar-free hard candies. These are available in Fruit Medley, Sherbet, Sour Sherbet and Mint Chocolate Chip flavors.


Kids will also love the fat-free and sugar-free gummy bears. There is no difference in taste and appearance so there will be no problem with the kids being picky with their candy.

If the children like s’mores, there are also sugar-free and low fat marshmallows. De Bron and La Nouba are some of the brands that manufacture these. Hershey’s also came out with sugar-free chocolate syrup. Again, there is no difference in the taste and appearance of these products.

Cheese is another big star during the Christmas holidays. It is used in most pasta dishes and in some salads. Most store-bought cheeses are processed, and these have many additives to make their shelf life longer. Aside from that, these have high sodium and fat content. There are low fat and light cheeses available, but it is healthier to use natural cheese. The softer the cheese, the healthier it is. Natural soft cheese has lower saturated fat and sodium content. It also has very minimal additives.

Another popular ingredient during Christmas is mayonnaise as it is used in salads and sandwiches. A tablespoon of regular mayonnaise has 100 calories. Try using light mayonnaise as an alternative as it only has 50 calories per tablespoon. Better yet, use fat-free mayonnaise with only 10 calories per tablespoon. Using vinaigrette for salads is also very healthy as it uses a lot of olive oil. Olive oil is very good for the body as it reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.

Although Filipinos do not consider bread as a complete meal, bread consumption increases during the Christmas holidays. White bread is the one of the most accessible type of bread in the country as most brands manufacture and sell them. However, whole wheat bread is healthier as it has four times the fiber of white bread. Many local and foreign and brands have these. A brand called Walter also developed sugar-free wheat bread and double fiber wheat bread which are both very good for the body.

As for the holiday beverages, cola and other soda products are very popular. An eight- ounce glass of Coke has about 105 calories. A healthier alternative would be Coke light which has no calories at all. Most of the Coca-cola products have a “light” or “diet” version which have the same taste and appearance but less or no calories. A healthier alternative to soda is iced tea. Bottled iced tea has become a popular drink for Filipinos over the last few years. It practically has the same calories as cola, but tea has anitoxidants that are good for the health. Tea, iced or not, is also good for digestion.

With these healthy food alternatives, Christmas doesn’t have to be a drag for the weight- watchers and the health-conscious.

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