You may know that long, long ago, in a little town called Bethlehem, the baby Jesus was born.

What you may not know is that actually, a small furry giraffe accompanied him in his manger at least he did according to Chloe.

Dressed up as Mary in her first nativity play, having somehow managed to keep hold of “Giraffy”, she tucked him and baby Jesus together in between verses of a Christmas song.

I have to say it was a proud moment. At least it was until she had a small fight with an angel and swiped the frankincense from a king.

Yet despite the occasional runaway sheep and general bedlam that must surely accompany any kids’ production, it was brilliant. I’m just a little in awe of the amazing teachers who managed to get through it with their sanity intact. They say never work with kids and animals. Don’t they know that applies to kids dressed as animals too?

But there is nothing like a toddler at this time of year to really make you feel festive. Having grasped the concept of Santa properly for the first time, Chloe can barely contain her excitement. Handling the pre-Christmas hyperactivity is a little like trying to keep lit fireworks in a box, but it’s entertaining all the same. I’ve been told that she’s likely to keep this up til January, so I am bracing myself!

In the meantime, whilst I don’t want to spoil your Christmas fun either, I thought I’d warn you of the top five worst festive foods out there. I’m all about damage-limitation this year, aiming to get you happily through the holidays, but with your health intact on the other side. For good measure, I’ve thrown in the top five best holiday foods too, so you know what you can indulge in on a guilt-free basis. And if you try out the recipe, you can add some extra antioxidants to your plate on Christmas day. I’m almost sure that in itself justifies another chocolate!

Festive Food: the top five worst

Let’s get this over and done with shall we? Here are the top five dietary offenders around this season:

1. Egg nog

Sorry Dunkley’s, but this hefty combination of eggs, cream and sugar provides a huge amount of calories and saturated fat. Whilst cholesterol intake in itself isn’t actually the main driver of a high cholesterol level, saturated fat intake is. So this is a no-no if you are at risk for heart disease. There is a “lighter” version but I would still exercise caution.

2. Dips

There’s nothing wrong with salsa and hummus. Those are positively healthy. The thing is at Christmas we like to roll out the big guns when it comes to dips making bubbling hot cheese and artichoke dip, or layered dips of melted cheese, refried beans and sour cream. I have a friend that calls hers “the fat dip”…and it’s good, but it is really, really fat!

3. Canapés

I know, I know, I went on about this last week, so just a quick reminder that canapés tend to pack in about 50 to 75 calories per mouthful. Deep-fried and cheesy bites can be even worse so easy does it. Try and snack on something healthy before you go to a drinks party so you don’t go overboard.

4. Mashed potatoes

It’s not the potatoes that are the problem, it’s the butter, cream and milk that we stir in. Try using less of these and instead use some chicken or vegetable stock to whip up your potatoes. A great ‘Biggest Loser’ tip is that you can also reduce the carb content of mash by mashing in cauliflower (two-thirds potato, one-third cauliflower), which also sneaks in an extra veggie. It tastes great, but I find the consistency is best when you finish this with a hand blender rather than a masher.

5. Cassava Pie

At the risk of being deported, I’ll give it to you straight. cassava pie is a complete and utter disaster. It is loaded with sodium and saturated fat. As for the calorie content, let’s just round it off to a gazillion. I’m not sure where to start on how to make this more healthy!

Festive Food: the top five best

Ah, the good stuff! Ho-ho-ho and all that. Fill up on plenty of the below!

1. Turkey

Roast turkey is a great source of lean, quality protein, especially if you side-step the skin, which is where most of the fat tends to hide. Use leftovers for soup and a healthy Christmas curry (more on these another week).

2. Sweet potatoes

Rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium and fibre, these pack a nutritional punch. But don’t undo all the good stuff by mashing in a pound of butter. Use the stock tip from above, or serve them baked.

3. Brussels sprouts

It took me years to like Brussels sprouts 30 of them in fact (years, not sprouts. Thirty sprouts sounds positively dangerous). But I do like them now, so long as they are steamed (maximises nutrition and flavour) rather than boiled into mushy oblivion. Good job too as they are rich in the protective phytonutrients that help prevent cancer, and rich in the fibre that helps to reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels.

4. Cocoa

This sealed the deal when I was considering nutrition as a profession. Chocolate can be healthy. Thank God! In fact, cocoa contains triple the amount of antioxidants in green tea, so you can indulge yourself in some hot chocolate made with a good quality preferably organic cocoa powder. Use low-fat milk and sweeten with agave syrup to help keep this one of the more healthy options. Unfortunately I can’t give you free rein to run off and stuff yourselves with Dairy Milk. The healthiest way to enjoy chocolate is to have small amounts of dark chocolate, eg 1oz of Green & Blacks 70 percent dark chocolate.

5. Cranberries

Christmas dinner wouldn’t be Christmas dinner without some cranberry sauce. And the good news is that cranberries are ultra-healthy. They are rich in the tannins that help protect against urinary tract infections (UTIs), and also contain plenty of antioxidants, potassium and fibre. Be careful though. Cranberries are naturally bitter, so they are usually sweetened with a lot of sugar. As consuming excess sugar can aggravate UTIs, you should always rely on cranberry extract or unsweetened cranberry juice when dealing with an infection. When it comes to cranberry sauce, the best way to minimise the sugar is to make your own. The recipe below isn’t sugar-free by any means, but it contains less sugar than many store-bought brands. It also includes fresh pomegranate seeds, which are tasty and exceptionally high in antioxidants. Pomegranate seeds are juicy on the outside and crunchy on the inside, so the texture of this sauce is different. However it’s deliciously fresh and really nicely spiced, so worth experimenting with this season.

Cranberry and Pomegranate Sauce

1 12oz bag fresh cranberries

1 pomegranate

1 cup unrefined sugar

4 oranges, freshly squeezed

1 tsp orange zest

3 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1. Prepare the pomegranate by slicing off the very top and bottom to reveal the inner segments. Use a sharp knife to separate the fruit along these lines. Pull all the seeds out of the segments into a bowl of water. Separate the seeds in the water and pick out any white bits of membrane. Drain the seeds and set to one side.

2. Mix together the cranberries, sugar, juice, zest, cloves and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

4. Add in the pomegranate seeds and then refrigerate overnight. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves before serving.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the U.K. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. She can be contacted at nourishbda@gmail.com