Damage limitation: How to have a safe and healthy Christmas season

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of year, but it's all too easy to let the party mood influence your decisions. Follow our expert advice to make this a Christmas to remember for all the right reasons 

Picture: iStock 

We’re at the height of the festive season but many of us are unsure how to celebrate it. Having endured our second year of Covid restrictions, we want to make merry with our family and friends. However, we’re worried about the potential consequences.

Covid is still a serious threat. There are also the usual concerns that come with overindulging in alcohol. And we don’t want to overeat and exercise too little, only to find that we’ve gained weight and lost fitness come January.

We’ve consulted the experts on how to navigate past the most common pitfalls and make this Christmas one to remember for all the right reasons.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) accepts that Christmas is when family and friends come together to celebrate but urge everyone to be mindful of how they do so.

“The incidence of Covid is still too high,” says a spokesperson. “We have to remember that every 1,000 cases lead to between 20 and 25 people in hospital and two to three people requiring critical care in ICU. Since June of this year, one-in-four people with Covid who required critical care has died. These figures are a reminder that Covid continues to pose a serious threat to us all.”

To minimise that risk, we need to prioritise who we meet and to meet as often as possible outdoors. According to data published by Amárach on November 22, many of us are already doing this. More than half of those questioned said they were reducing the number of people they planned to meet before Christmas and 45% said they were scrapping their socialising plans altogether.

When we do gather indoors at Christmas, we should limit our gatherings to a maximum of four households. That’s your household plus three others.

Dr Luke O’Neill, professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin and author of the recently published Keep Calm and Trust the Science, suggests some precautions when we meet indoors. “Ventilation would be wise,” he says. “Let’s hope it’s not too cold. It might be a good idea to buy an air filtration device too. 

A crowd of people in a badly ventilated room is to be avoided at all costs as that is when the virus spreads the most.

If we’re in crowds or poorly ventilated areas, Nephet recommends wearing a mask. They also suggest that we wash our hands on entering and leaving any house or premises. And if we have any cold or flu-like symptoms, we should isolate immediately and get a PCR test.

O’Neill has a few more tips to add. “Try not to worry too much,” he says. “Stress is a big enemy for the immune system, so it’s important to try to avoid it as best we can. Exercise is great and also gets the immune system going. A good night’s sleep is key, too, as well as a balanced diet. These are simple things we can do to help our immune system fight the virus and help the vaccines and boosters do their job.”

Enjoy alcohol sensibly

Drinkaware, the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse, has put together some tips on how to have a merry, but not too merry, Christmas this year.

“Here in Ireland, social gatherings are inextricably linked with an increase in alcohol consumption, but this doesn’t have to be the case,” says Jennifer Flynn, communications manager with Drinkaware.

“We can change the narrative this Christmas.”

Flynn has some suggestions to help you do just that. “Firstly, I’d recommend eating some food while drinking,” she says. “Whether it’s mince pies or gingerbread men, food helps slow down how much you drink and how quickly the alcohol is absorbed into your body.”

She also advises people to decide how much they’re going to drink before they start drinking and to measure their drinks throughout the evening. “Having a cut-off point in mind makes you more likely to stick to it and measuring means you’re aware of how much you’re drinking,” she says.

“Don’t top up your glass before you finish. If you do, you’re likely to lose count and drink more than you intended.”

Her other tips include alternating each alcoholic drink with water or a non-alcoholic alternative, drinking from smaller glasses, and avoiding rounds. “In rounds, you tend to drink as fast as the fastest drinker in the group,” says Flynn. “You don’t drink at your own pace.”

Practise safe sex

Drinking too much can lead to risk-taking behaviour, including unsafe sex. Dr Caitríona Henchion, medical director of the Irish Family Planning Association, warns of the possible consequences of this.

“It puts people at risk of unintended pregnancy and can also lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs),” she says. “You should always use a condom when there is a risk of infection, even if you are using another form of contraception such as the pill. When used correctly, condoms are the only contraceptive that offer some protection against STIs. Just make sure to use good-quality condoms and don’t forget to check the expiry date.”

If you wake up in the morning having had unprotected sex the night before, there are some steps you can take to minimise the risk.

“Get emergency contraception as soon as possible, either the emergency contraceptive pill or the copper coil, also known as the IUD,” says Dr Henchion. “The pill is available from pharmacies and can be taken up to five days after unprotected sex. But the sooner it’s taken, the more effective it is.”

An IUD must be fitted within five days of unprotected sex and will provide ongoing long-term contraception. It can be fitted at your local family planning clinic or by trained GPs.

Emergency contraception does not protect against STIs. “If you have sex without a condom or the condom slips or breaks, you should get a routine STI screening,” says Henchion. “You can get screened at most family planning clinics or with many GPs. Screenings are free at public STI clinics nationwide.”

Keep an eye on the nibbles

Christmas time is also a season of indulgence and subsequent indigestion. In 2019, Safefood found that the average Irish adult gained half a stone over Christmas due to excessive eating and drinking.

Dietitian, author, and food consultant Paula Mee is here to help with damage limitation. Her first tip is to mind the sweets and treats. “Often, it’s the nibbles we have at this time of year that pile on the pounds,” she says. “Gaining one pound of fat is as easy as indulging in 70 chocolates from your favourite festive tin. That might sound like a lot but a handful every day soon adds up.”

Mee recommends focusing on getting optimum nutrition into your three daily meals. “Start your day with a good breakfast,” she says. “Something like eggs and avocado is packed with protein, micronutrients, and healthy fats, fuelling you for the day ahead. At lunch and dinner time, make sure half your plate is vegetables. If you nourish yourself at mealtimes, you’re less likely to overindulge in those festive treats.”

And watch your alcohol intake. “All those beers, wines, and creamy cocktails are a huge culprit in weight gain.”

However, if you find yourself battling indigestion this Christmas, there are steps you can take to minimise its impact. “Eat slowly and reduce the size of your meals,” says Mee.

Cut down on fried food or foods that contain a lot of oil, butter, cream, or cheese. “They take longer to digest in the stomach and the longer foods remain in the stomach, the higher the risk of heartburn,” says Mee.

She also recommends sticking to a moderate intake of alcohol and caffeine. “Drinking alcohol relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter and irritates the oesophagus while caffeine can increase acid in the stomach,” says Mee. “Herbal teas and water are good options instead.”

Chewing gum can alleviate the symptoms of indigestion. So can standing upright or elevating the head of your bed.

Ten-minute exercise snacks

Our fitness is something we shouldn’t forget over the festive period. Ray Lally, aka the Happy Fitness Guy, encourages a more balanced approach rather than spending our days curled up on the sofa in front of box sets.

“It’s been a tough old year and any excuse to sit down and relax is well worth taking,” he says.

“Energy levels are low and stress levels can be high over Christmas. Even a ten-minute workout can help lift your mood and your energy.”

It can have other benefits too. “It strengthens your muscles and gets your blood circulating,” says Lally.

He recommends simple exercises you can easily do at home.

“Dance to your three favourite Christmas party songs,” he says. “Or try squats on your bed. Hold the squat at the bottom, don’t stand up fully, and hold it again at the top. Your muscles and joints will benefit hugely and because you’re on an unstable surface, you’ll bring stability training into play. Your legs will shake, and you’ll have to fight to balance yourself. You’ll challenge your core and your whole body in a different way.”

Keep up a simple exercise routine and you won’t need to start from zero in January, says Lally. “If you do make time for some movement and exercise over Christmas, you’ll find that you feel fresh, positive and ready to go come the new year.”

Morning after the day before: How to cure a hangover 

Despite our best efforts, many of us find that we overindulge over Christmas, particularly when it comes to celebratory drinks with family and friends.

What’s the best way to restore ourselves to health the morning after? Dietitian Paula Mee advises us to ditch the greasy fry up and to nourish ourselves instead.

“Reaching for the wrong kinds of foods means that you’re only continuing the damage,” she says. “Eating nutrient-dense foods such as porridge, eggs, a banana smoothie with nut butter, or a bowl of Weetabix with some banana and warm milk will help restore all those depleted vitamins.” 

She recommends thinking ahead and shopping for nutritious ingredients in advance of a big night out. “Having foods like bananas in the house means you’re more likely to make healthy choices the morning after,” she says.

She also shares the following recipe for a seasonal beetroot smoothie to boost your nutrient intake this festive season.

“Beetroot improves oxygen use and endurance,” she says. “Ginger is calming on the digestive tract and oranges and carrots contain the necessary antioxidants for repairing the free radical damage associated with toxin overload.” 

Whizz two beetroots with a piece of ginger measuring half a centimetre, two chopped carrots, and one peeled orange.

“You’ve got a zingy, flavourful health boost that looks and tastes great,” says Mee.