How to Portion Christmas Dinner Properly

Posted on November 30, 2019 by Sally-Anne Turner

We’re all guilty of eating far too much on Christmas Day when calories don’t count… do they?

Unfortunately, they do and although we want all of our clients to have a totally enjoyable Christmas, it’s important that you try to keep on track with your diet - a simple bit of portion control can go a long way!

We’ve done the hard bit for you, so read on to find out how you can enjoy all the festive goodness without going mad on the calories.

The recommended serving size for a buttered turkey breast joint is 125g, containing around 225 calories.

According to a study reported in the Metro , the average Christmas dinner consists of 4 slices of turkey which can contain up to 404 calories, so although turkey is typically good for us and a great source of protein, we still have to watch quantities!

The recommended serving size for pigs in blankets is two, and most of us double or even triple that with this festive favourite! Five pigs in blankets can contain anywhere up to… prepare yourself… 400 calories! It’s definitely worth reconsidering how many of these you sneak onto our plate this year.

One of the favourite side dishes of any Christmas dinner, but whether it’s homemade or shop bought, roast potatoes really can pack in the calories, particularly if they’re goose fat roasties.

Shop bought varieties vary anywhere from 180 to 230 calories per suggested serving, but it really does depend on how they’re cooked.The recommend amount of carbs per day for an adult is 130g, so a 130g of roast potatoes is a sensible portion for Christmas day.

A staple for some people’s Christmas dinners and something others give a miss but if you do add a Yorkshire pudding to your plate on Christmas day, the recommended serving size is always just the one. The calorie content will depend on the size.

Love them or hate them, sprouts are a classic Christmas vegetable and are enjoyed in many different ways. Boiled, mixed with butter, cooked with bacon, the options are endless but for a standard serving of sprouts, we’d recommend around 80g – which is also enough for one of our five a day!

Similarly to sprouts, carrots and other vegetables are also best served in 80g portions.

Homemade stuffing and shop bought can vary in calories, especially if it contains things like sausage meat. Working off a supermarket’s own brand as a guide, two stuffing balls is the recommended portion, containing 147 calories for the two.

The study suggests that we typically have three balls of stuffing each, in which case we would slightly be over portioning.

As with all the other components of your Christmas dinner, the nutritional value of shop bought and homemade will differ but going off leading brand Bisto, the recommend serving of Gravy is 50ml prepared according to the package, which will contain 13 calories.

Using these portion sizes, our Christmas dinner plates could total around 788 calories. It’s still high for one meal compared to usual, but it is Christmas Day and we need to enjoy ourselves!

Watch your portion sizes and you can still eat all your favourite foods without ruining all hard work in the lead up to Christmas.