With Christmas fast approaching I am sure some of you are worried that you are going to over indulge in all the wrong types of foods and end up eating the entire contents of your cupboards and fridge within a day! Rest assured one of the meals you will be indulging in is actually really healthy! This meal you are all wondering about is Christmas dinner! Packed with copious amounts of vegetables and good quality protein this meal is full of all kinds of nutrients you need to keep fit and healthy! So lets start with the turkey… packed with protein, especially tryptophan (great for boosting mood) zinc, vitamin A, iron and B12, so great for energy, brain power and hormonal balance and also great for keeping blood sugar stable as it’s high in protein. Next potatoes (of the roast variety of course!)… These are full of vitamin C, B6 and potassium, great for immunity, hormonal balance and the nervous system. Now for the carrots…It’s true what they say about carrots, they do help improve your eye sight as they contain beta carotene the vegetarian version of vitamin A, great for vision and lots of antioxidants, which are great for preventing all kinds of diseases including heart disease and cancer. Next parsnips…These starchy vegetables are packed full of not only fibre, which helps keep you regular (we won’t go into too much detail there!) and helps to prevent cardiovascular issues like high cholesterol, but also folic acid, which is great for the nervous system and making red blood cells, plus they also have potassium and vitamin C. Lets not forget the Brussel sprouts…these are a close relation of the cabbage family and are one of those superfoods you may have heard about. They are more specifically from the Brassica family, which are vegetables that can help prevent heart disease, cancer, strokes, are great for liver health, eye health and help to control any inflammatory conditions too! I’m going to leave out the pigs in blankets from this list as you have probably heard recently that these are not the healthiest of foods due to their high nitrate content! Finally the cranberry sauce…Cranberries are full of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, plus vitamin K, which is needed to help the blood clot, plus the minerals copper and manganese, which are important for lot of reaction in the body to take place! Obviously you could add some broccoli or other vegetables to make it even more nutritious, but even as it is it’s good enough! Who would have thought one meal could provide so much nutritional value! Happy Christmas! To find out more facts about some of the topics mentioned in my blog follow me on twitter through the link on my website.
Why Christmas dinner can be really healthy!
