SWAP IT UP

Drink Champagne not cava and switch Baileys for whiskey! Dietitian’s top 10 festive drink swaps to help you watch your waistline

Andrea Downey

Published: 15:41, 20 Dec 2017
Updated: 16:52, 20 Dec 2017

WE all look forward to a well deserved drink at Christmas.

But a dreadful hangover could be the last of your festive boozing worries.

Swapping your home made mulled wine for a red wine can save you calories and sugar. But if you really must have mulled wine try making it with a sugar substitute like Splenda

While the searing headache and sick feeling in the pit of your stomach is hopefully fairly short-lived, other side effects of a Christmas session are much more long term.

All those extra glasses of wine, beer and spirits also come with a whole load of extra sugar and calories - all too easy to forget when adding up your daily allowance.

In fact, just one glass of your favourite vino can contain as many 235 calories and three teaspoons of sugar.

Eating or drinking excessive amounts of sugar comes with an array of health risks linked to obesity including type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer - that's definitely not a Christmas present you want.

Your glass of cava contains more calories and sugar than Champagne does

Dietitian Helen Bond told The Sun Online it pays to think twice when it comes to topping up your favourite festive tipple.

"We all look forward to the holidays, but there’s nothing worse than finishing the season with a shock on the scales," she said.

"With Christmas-party cocktails, celebrations and opportunities to say 'cheers' a-plenty, it’s unsurprising that on average people gain between one and five pounds over Christmas.

"And you only need to take in 500 additional calories a day over five weeks to see the scales say you've gained that extra weight.

"We’re all guilty of underestimating and rose-tinting the calories in our favourite festive tipples, so follow my top tips on knowing your limits."