Here’s how you can have your Christmas cake or pudding and eat it too!

Here at The Healthy Mummy, we are strong advocates of healthy eating and exercise. We also believe that everything can be enjoyed in moderation and you shouldn’t deny yourself anything.

When it comes to healthy eating at Christmas time it can be hard to stick to a healthy eating plan with so many delicious options available, which is why we have put together this quick guide that helps you balance what you eat with the calories you burn when you exercises.

So go on enjoy that Christmas treat, all you have to do is work it off with some exercise.

Here is how you can enjoy those Christmas treats without the guilt

There are certain dishes that can’t be ignored at Christmas time but take heed, you can actually have your pudding and eat it too.

We wanted to help you enjoy these delicious treats whilst still working on your weight or health goals. Below is a bit of a guide on how you work off the calories you consume with some of Christmas time’s most tempting treats.

So if you eat this you need to do this exercise to burn those calories.

Christmas Pudding

Traditional Christmas Pudding often has a high content of sugar but if you really want to give yourself a treat and enjoy this Christmas favourite there is no reason you can’t.

What is one way to ease the guilt you may feel from indulging in this Christmas treat? Exercise! In fact, just half an hour of swimming is all you would need to do in order to burn off the calories consumed in one slice of Christmas Pudding (340 calories).

As an alternative, you could try making The Healthy Mummy’s 4 Ingredient Fruit Cake which comes in at 267 calories per serve, the recipe for this delicious cake can be found in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub or our Christmas and Entertaining Cookbook.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a sweet delicacy and is very hard to say no to, even at the best of times. Everything can be had in moderation even this deliciously sweet treat!

If you want to have a little indulgence all you need to do is half an hour of mat pilates and you can have four squares of chocolate. The exercise will burn off the approximately 100 calories that you will be consuming with the chocolate.

Here at The Healthy Mummy we love chocolate just as much as everyone else which is why there are so many healthier chocolate treats you can try both in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub and FREE on our site. We love chocolate so much we dedicated a whole cookbook to healthy chocolate treats, get it here.

Fruit Mince Pie

These traditional sweet pies are a Christmas staple for most and because of this, they are almost unavoidable.

But have no fear if you indulge in a traditional Fruit Mince Pie (approx 180 calories) all you need to do is 20-minutes of push-ups and you will burn those extra calories.

Even better than doing the extra exercise to burn off those excess calories why not make some Healthy Mummy Refined Sugar-Free Mince Pies and everyone can enjoy a healthy alternative to this classic Christmas treat.

Lemonade

Soft drinks often come hand in hand with your Christmas dinner as they are the easy thing to grab and take with you or are drunk by most people so an easy option to serve and please most guests.

If you do end up indulging in the fizzy stuff and enjoy a cold glass of lemonade on a hot Christmas Day all you need to do is 15 minutes of knee raises to work off the approximately 125 calories in that glass of lemonade.

Alternatively, you can opt to stick to plain water or add some flavour with some delicious fruit infusions.

Eggnog

Nothing says Christmas like a glass of eggnog!

But this yummy drink needn’t make you break your weight loss goals if you have a glass of eggnog (390 calories) you can work it off by doing 30-minute hour workout from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge app.

There is also a recipe for a healthy version of this yummy Christmas drink in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub or our Christmas and Entertaining Cookbook.

Turkey and Potato

Often a staple on any Christmas dinner table the beloved roast turkey can be hard to avoid and there is often some form of potato dish as a side to accompany it.

Never fear if you do enjoy some of this Christmas favourite you just need to take a one-hour bike ride to burn off the 578 calories of this very scrumptious and yummy dish.

If you want to enjoy a healthier version of this delicious dish we have a recipe for Roast Turkey with Pistachio Stuffing, Cranberry Gravy and Orange Cous Cous Salad in the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub.

It is also available with hundreds more healthy Christmas recipes in our Christmas and Entertaining Cookbook.

Cheesecake

Everyone loves a slice or two of creamy cheesecake to finish off a meal and truth be told, there is no reason why you should enjoy this yummy dessert.

After every great meal, a walk is a great way to settle your tummy and even better if you take a one and a half hour hike you will burn off two slices of that delicious cheesecake (approx 600 calories).

If you are looking for a healthier cheesecake recipe there are a lot available in the28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe hub including the delicious Choc Cherry Cheesecake pictured above and lemon sponge cake recipe. This is also available in our Christmas and Entertaining Cookbook.

Champagne

There is always the opportunity to enjoy a glass or two of bubbles during the festive season whether it be at the office Christmas party or to toast in the New Year.

Don’t stop yourself from enjoying a celebratory drink, you just need to pull out that skipping rope and do 15 minutes of skipping and you will burn 340 calories which is double the 180 calories two glasses of champagne equates too.

If you are looking for healthier drinks to enjoy this festive season these 5 cocktails and mocktails are all under 100 calories.

We are strong believers of not denying yourself anything when it comes to food and drinks, especially when there are so many healthy options out there.

And you should always enjoy yourself at Christmas so with these tips under your belt, you can allow yourself to indulge this Christmas without feeling the guilt that may come with it or derailing your healthy eating plan.

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