Christmas Explained: T is for Turkey with all the Trimmings

Surveys show that on average we will eat our way through as many as 6,000 calories on Christmas Day alone which, according to the British Dietetic Association, may be a result of overindulging on second helpings, snacks and alcohol.
Whilst we are likely to put on an average 5lbs (2kg) in weight over the Christmas period, the Christmas meal is not the main culprit. In fact, the traditional turkey roast can be very good for us.
The problem is that over Christmas we can eat roughly three to four times more food than we actually need. Meaning that we can end up in the New Year weighing a lot more than we did. It also means we are storing up problems for the future. After all the extra calories have to go somewhere. These extra calories will be laid down as fat, and it’s those extra few pounds that can do you harm in the long term.

So what does the average Christmas Dinner mean for our bodies? Here are the nutritional facts:

CHRISTMAS DINNERChristmas DinnerCaloriesFatRoast turkey(90g)149 kcal4gRoast potatoes(85g)127 kcal4gStuffing(100g)231 kcal15gBread sauce(45g)42 kcal1gRoast parsnips(90g)102 kcal6gBoiled carrots14 kcal0gBrussel Sprouts32 kcal1gGravy(50g)17 kcal1gCranberry sauce(30g)45 kcal0gPork sausage(20g)62 kcal5gBacon(40g)135 kcal11gTOTAL956 kcal48gCHRISTMAS DINNER EXTRASChristmas Dinner ExtrasCaloriesFat1 slice of Christmas cake(70g)249 kcal8g1 portion of chocolate log (30g)101 kcal3g1 portion of cheese and biscuits394 kcal27g1 portion of mixed nuts (40g)243 kcal22g1 portion Christmas pudding (100g), custard and brandy butter587 kcal22g1 mince pie and double cream368 kcal25g1 glass of mulled wine245 kcal0g


Of course there are plenty of ways of ensuring you don't overindulge over Christmas - but what would be the fun in that?
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You will find many other such tasty morsels of information in my book Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.