Top tips on how you can cut 500 calories out of your Christmas dinner

Many of us work hard to keep trim, watching our weight all year round just to see the pounds pile on over Christmas. But this year NHS Choices is offering top tips on how you can cut 500 calories out of your Christmas dinner while still enjoying all your traditional favourites.

• Turkey is a source of protein and, without the skin, is low in fat. If you remove the skin, you can save around 40 calories per portion.
• Chestnuts are low in fat and a good source of potassium, which we need for healthy kidneys. If you choose a chestnut based stuffing instead of sausage meat you can save around 90 calories per portion.
• Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrate and are almost fat free, before they're roasted in oil or fat. By baking potatoes you can save 40 calories per portion.
• If you have bread sauce with your Christmas dinner, by switching a packet mix with full fat milk to making your own with semi skimmed milk you could save up to 262 calories.
• Christmas pudding is fairly low in fat and high in carbohydrate. It provides some fibre, B vitamins, potassium, iron and calcium. However, it does have a lot of sugar. By having a small portion and by serving with a low-fat custard or fat-free Greek yoghurt instead of brandy butter or double cream you can save 117 calories per portion.

Nutritionist Azmina Govindji said: "Many of the foods we traditionally eat at Christmas aren't actually that bad for us. Turkey breast without the skin for instance, is actually a really good source of filling, low fat protein. The individual foods themselves are nutritious; we just need to be mindful of how we cook them and our portion sizes. What many people don't realise is that by making just very small changes in the way you prepare and serve your Christmas dinner, you can save on those all important calories and help prevent the customary festive weight gain!"