End of year festivities : Why you should have a healthy Christmas Menu

Cooking a wide variety of meals has always been part of  Christmas celebration. But most people eat lots of food, without considering why healthy meals matter  . Seuna Kamaha Linda Eva, a nutritionist , proposes a healthy Christmas menu .

According to the nutritionist, an ideal Christmas menu should include healthy vegetable salads. She proposes five components of healthy vegetable salads.

• Lots of colourful greens/veggies for its fibers and anti-oxydants, like Lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, peppers and onions
• Lean proteins to build your muscles especially chicken without its skin, hard boiled eggs, fish and beans .
• Choose one type of carbohydrates for energy notably, Brown rice, whole wheat bread, corn, millet and sesame
• Add healthy fats for energy and absorption of fat soluble vitamins like Avocado, and olive oil
• Season with spices, fresh herbs, or low fat salad dressing

Another healthy starter you will certainly need is fruit salads, known to have lots  of vitamins, fibers, minerals and anti-oxydants .

For main course meals, you need to respect the general rule of a healthy plate formula. The nutritionist says it should consist 1/2 soup or veggies + 1/4 lean proteins + 1/4 starchy foods.

Three examples include;

1) Sauteed vegetables (ex: “Folong”, “Nzom”) + grilled or oven baked fish + brown rice (“Ndop” rice, “Yagoua” rice,…)

2) Tomato stew + grilled or oven baked chicken + roasted or grilled plantains

3) Okro soup + meat without fat + corn fufu or rice fufu

You will also want to be careful with the kind of deserts you take. Seuna Kamaha Linda Eva insists that deserts should be low in fat, sugar, salt and portioned for adults . They include;

1) A glass of yoghurt
2) A piece of cake
3) A handful of chinchin or caramel
4) Puff-puff in a tea dish

Benefits of a healthy meal

Eating a healthy meal during Christmas is very helpful.

The nutritionist outlines three benefits.
– You avoid food poisoning and related problems such as stomach ache and diarrhea

-It permits you to maintain a healthy weight

– Healthy feeding keeps you on a good energy level even days after Christmas

Barely hours to  the celebration of the birth of Christ ,  cooking the day’s meals is well on course in many homes. It is a day when most people, especially children eat whatever they see .

However, Seuna Kamaha Linda Eva, cautions everyone , especially parents to help their children eat healthy meals on Christmas Day .

Kathy Neba Sina

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