In the run up to Christmas it’s all too easy to overindulge, especially when festive goodies are handed out at almost every opportunity. But I don’t just mean the times when you travel to see family and friends. You know that those visits oblige you to sample someone’s homemade mince pies or Christmas cake. However, recently I have been surprised to be plied with stollen bites, Bailey’s and holiday chocolates simply by buying presents, choosing a Christmas tree and attending my gym. Even if you are normally accustomed to eating a healthy diet, somehow it still feels awkward to turn down the offer of a festive calorie-laden treat. So you end up eating something sky high in sugar that you know you don’t really need or necessarily want from a virtual stranger. You even go overboard in thanking them for it and will happily do it all again because it’s Christmas. Then when your gut starts to nag away at you with eater’s regret, you try to convince yourself that there’s no harm in a little celebrating…Nobody wants to be a Scrooge, right? Besides, it’s practically impossible to have a healthy Christmas.
Well not quite…Of course, you won’t be surprised to know that there are several things you can do to have a healthier and more nutritious Christmas. But staying healthy is not about trying not to overindulge on one big day. Because even if you have an absolute gorge-fest of gluttony in a meal, the negative impact on your health really comes from when you eat in excess throughout the entire holiday season. In other words, a daily lucky dip into a Quality Street tin or gingerbread latte is going to add up to a lot more harm than just having an extra serving of your auntie’s famous stuffing on Christmas day. It’s much more of a challenge to resist temptation throughout the month of December whilst still taking part in your work, friends and family’s festivities. It can be difficult to make healthy choices and to avoid the seasonal treats without inadvertently offending anyone’s hospitality.
But if you thought that emotional blackmail and other people’s expectations of your appetite were the biggest threat to your healthy goodwill this Christmas, you will now also have to listen to them quoting the latest health claims about chocolate. According to some questionable health headlines, eating chocolate can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Well, hallelujah! Finally a solution to a serious health condition that everyone could get on board with. Because to anyone scanning the newspapers, it pretty much gave them the green light to wolf down the last chocolate Santa. But though the headlines cited a recent study published in the eminent British Medical Journal, they didn’t exactly tell the whole story.
The prospective study looked at three cohorts made up of nurses and health professionals in the US to investigate the associations between dark, milk, and total chocolate consumption and risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Previous studies had shown inconsistent results and there were very few that had looked at the association of T2D and specific types of chocolate. In a nutshell, the study found that the increased consumption of dark chocolate was associated with a lower risk of T2D. It has been suggested that dark chocolate, with a higher cocoa content (50-80%) than milk chocolate, may work to lower the risk of T2D due to the various bioactive compounds including flavanols that it contains. Milk chocolate, however, did not seem to offer this protection in terms of T2D. In fact, the study showed that the increased consumption of milk chocolate was positively associated with long term weight gain. Is it any wonder then that most headlines glossed over this bit and we didn’t see the likes of Cadbury’s shouting this from the rooftops? It’s hardly going to shift more chocolate Santas and snowballs.
Clearly, much further research is needed and there was no suggestion that people should up their chocolate intake to prevent T2D. In fact, the authors cited several limitations of the study including the overall design. For instance, the participants in the cohorts do not represent the socioeconomic or personal characteristics of the general population and so the findings may not even be applicable. Furthermore, the consumption of chocolate among the participants of the study was relatively low compared to the national average in the US. Which means that it is difficult to know exactly how much chocolate (or the amount of its bioactive compounds) could potentially be protective before you hit a tipping point into ill health. Further, the proportion of sugar and fat contained in the dark chocolate eaten will also influence its association with T2D. Especially because the link between a diet high in sugar and T2D has long been established so it is not as if the sugar in dark chocolate is protective. Alas, until more research and robust trials are conducted into dark chocolate, the flavanols contained in cocoa and their association with T2D, the sensible thing to do is to not believe the hype.
So as someone who loves dark chocolate, as much as I would like to believe that a little square is doing me some good, it is far better to accept the truth that it’s just another treat that I should limit. And whilst it may be tricky amidst the festivities, there really is only one way to avoid overindulging this Christmas. Unfortunately, you have to risk being that little bit awkward by limiting the number of holiday treats and drinks you accept and keep trying to make healthy choices wherever possible. Like most things in life, moderation is the key to eating a healthy and nutritious diet but it will help you stay healthy this holiday season and far beyond. As I practice what I preach, I will keep trying to steer wide of lurking Celebrations tins whilst out shopping but at least even Nutritionists get a Christmas day free pass. Which means that like most people I will also be looking forward to sitting down soon with my family to share a turkey meal with all of the trimmings.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a healthy recipe that is not only easy but extremely tasty try this Pasta with roasted Brussel sprouts, mushrooms and chestnut pesto. It will convince even Brussel sprout dodgers to clean their plates.
