Enjoying the Festive Season Without Compromising Your Heart Health

The festive period is a time of celebration, family time and socialising. Understandably, much of it centres around food and drink. While Christmas can be an enjoyable time, it can also present challenges for maintaining healthy habits, particularly for those with heart health goals.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) reports that people can gain 1–2 kg over the festive period, with some individuals consuming up to 6,000 kcal on Christmas Day alone. However, enjoying the festivities doesn’t have to mean abandoning your health goals altogether. With a few mindful strategies, it’s possible to celebrate while still looking after your heart.

Don’t Overdo It – Aim for Balance, Not Perfection

Christmas is not about restriction. It’s about balance.

• Relax and enjoy festive foods but keep your overall goals in mind.

• Stay active where possible but don’t treat exercise as a punishment for eating.

• Remember that socialising doesn’t always have to revolve around food or alcohol.

Alternative ways to connect might include winter walks, coffee catch-ups, board games, or festive activities that keep you moving without pressure.

Why don’t you check out the My Movement Medicine 12 Moves of Christmas for some inspiration.

Festive Challenge

Think of Your Diet as a Whole

The festive season often includes richer meals and treats, so it’s important to view your diet across the day or week as a whole, rather than focusing on individual meals.

For example, if you know you’ll be having a large evening meal:

• Prioritise fruit and vegetables earlier in the day.

• Aim to meet your 5-a-day, fibre intake, and include healthy fats and lean protein.

• Stay well hydrated.

This flexible approach allows for celebration while supporting overall health.

Extra nutrition tip: if breakfast and lunch are balanced, people often find it easier to enjoy a festive dinner without feeling like they’ve “blown the day”. A simple option is porridge + fruit at breakfast and a soup/salad with a protein source at lunch.

Make Healthier Swaps Where You Can

Small choices can make a big difference over time. You don’t need to miss out — simply consider lighter alternatives where possible.

Examples include:

• Choosing turkey instead of beef.

• Opting for steamed or roasted vegetables rather than fried.

• Choosing plain mash instead of cheesy mash.

• Enjoying a festive fruit salad instead of trifle.

Trying new, healthier recipes or adjusting side dishes can help maintain your goals without sacrificing flavour.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has a wide range of heart-healthy festive recipes worth exploring.

Extra nutrition tip: if you’re having something rich (e.g., pigs in blankets, stuffing, creamy sides), balance it by keeping one or two other parts of the plate lighter (extra veg, a smaller roast potato portion, or less gravy).

Use Food Traffic Lights as a Guide

Many pre-packaged foods use the traffic light labelling system, which highlights levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.

• Aim for more green and amber options where possible.

• Use red labels as a cue for moderation rather than avoidance.

This can be especially helpful when choosing festive snacks or ready-made foods.

Extra nutrition tip: for heart health, the two labels most people benefit from watching during Christmas are often salt and saturated fat (especially with processed meats, cheese, pastry snacks, and sauces).

Power of the Vegetables

Buffets and festive spreads can often be beige-heavy. Making vegetables, salads, and fruit a priority can:

• Increase fibre intake.

• Help manage portion sizes.

• Reduce overall calorie intake.

This applies to starters and main meals as well — filling half your plate with vegetables is a simple, heart-healthy strategy.

Easy wins: add a side salad, include extra steamed greens, or bulk out dishes with vegetables (for example, extra carrots/onions in gravy, or more veg in soups and stews).

Be Snack and Portion Aware

From large boxes of chocolates to mince pies and festive nibbles, it’s easy to consume extra calories without realising.

• Be mindful of how often you’re snacking.

• Check portion sizes on packaging, including calories, salt, sugar, and saturated fat.

• Serve snacks onto a plate rather than eating straight from the box.

Extra nutrition tip: decide in advance what your “worth it” treats are. Many people find it easier to enjoy their favourites intentionally, rather than grazing on snacks they don’t even really want.

Watch the Sauces and Condiments

Sauces add flavour but can also be high in salt, sugar, fat, and calories. A little goes a long way, so be mindful when pouring and topping up.

Remember some sauces like cranberry sauce can interfere with your medicine, such as warfarin. Always check if your medication has any food to avoid due to interactions.

Extra nutrition tip: keep sauces on the side, use a smaller spoon, and taste first before adding more — you often need less than you think.

Alcohol and Heart Health

According to Drinkaware, two-thirds of UK drinkers plan to drink more over Christmas and around half of adults binge drink during the festive period.

UK guidelines recommend:

• No more than 14 units of alcohol per week.

• Spreading intake across several days.

• Including several alcohol-free days each week.

It’s also worth remembering that some alcoholic drinks are higher in calories than others.

Staying hydrated is particularly important at this time. Unless you’ve been advised to restrict fluids, aim for around 2 litres of fluid per day.

Extra nutrition tip: alternating alcoholic drinks with water or a sugar-free soft drink is one of the simplest ways to reduce total units, improve hydration, and limit mindless snacking later in the evening.

Health Tip

If you are unsure whether alcohol is safe with your medical condition or medications, speak to your consultant, GP or pharmacist for personalised advice.

Useful Resources / References'

• British Heart Foundation (BHF) – How to enjoy Christmas food, drink and socialising without harming your heart.

• British Dietetic Association (BDA) – Eat, drink and be healthy this Christmas.

• Drinkaware – Two thirds of UK drinkers intend to drink more over Christmas.

This nutrition guide was written by Helena Davies, Dietetic Specialist, My Movement Medicine.

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