Share

Your Christmas meal has up to 10 000 kJ

accreditation
iStock

It’s that time of year again when retailers are advertising frantically to persuade us into spending our hard-earned money on the frivolities which have by the process of "tradition" become part of the celebration of Christmas.

Besides the mountains of decorations, presents, and cards offered for sale (which have nothing to do with the message of Christmas), there is also the so-called "Festive Food" that we are urged to purchase in vast quantities.

I am sometimes quite amazed at the culinary excesses suggested by our local supermarkets especially when they spend the rest of the year polishing their squeaky clean image of providing us with ethical food that is devoid of all additives and (it would seem) all kilojoules.

Summer climate

Why do we, who live in a climate that features temperatures well over 30ºC on most December days, buy and eat gargantuan turkeys bursting with stodgy stuffing, as well as cakes, pies and puddings so heavy with dried fruit and nuts that they could sink a ship?

It defies all logic and certainly is expensive and does our waistlines and blood fat levels a great disservice. The old adage “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” needs a Christmas version which could be something along the lines of “A Christmas feast will bankrupt your pocket and your heart!”

I do, however, realise that eating foods that are so contrary to this time of year when all I crave is grilled fish, fresh salads and long cold fruit drinks tinkling with ice cubes, is wired into our social consciousness because food is so often a symbol of emotion, religion and tradition.

A long history

Most of the food traditions associated with a "western" Christmas feast are ancient and originated in Europe during the Middle Ages or even earlier.

If you live in countries that are blanketed in ice and snow for half the year and all you have in the larder is a cured ham, some suet and dried fruit, plus a few precious spices and your last bit of sugar, then you would probably combine these ingredients for a special feast held on one of the coldest, darkest days of the year.

Back in the day before Columbus sailed to the New World, you would also boil the cured ham or roast the largest fowl available, usually a specially fattened goose, to feed the entire hungry family gathered round to celebrate.

When turkeys made their way to Europe they supplanted geese as the "fowl of choice" for the Christmas menu, particularly in English-speaking countries. But many a goose still graces the tables of celebrants in Germany and other parts of Europe.

Thanks to the unprecedented expansion of the British Empire on which it was once said “The sun never sets!”, these food traditions spread throughout the globe including South Africa. The fact that we no long wear stifling Victorian clothing, but still eat meals that would have done Queen Victoria proud, illustrates how enduring food symbols can be.
 
Toting up the kilojoules

So if we are caught up in the symbolism of food on high days and holidays, then it may be a good idea to consider what a burden of kilojoules these foods contain.


Typical Christmas Menu


Energy in kJ


a) Roast turkey with stuffing and gravy

Roast turkey with skin - 100g

Meat stuffing - 50g

Rich gravy - 2 T (30g)

Subtotal:

 
  870

  770

  600

2 240


b) Roast potatoes, peas & carrots, mixed salad with dressing

Roast potato, large, 120 g

Peas & carrots cooked with sugar & butter, ½ cup, 70g

Mixed salad, ½ cup, 70 g

Dressing, mustard, egg & vinegar, 1 T, 15 g

Subtotal:

  
 768

  288

   74

   93

1 223


c) Christmas pudding, brandy sauce, ice cream & custard

Christmas pudding, rich, 80 g

Brandy sauce, 2 T, 30 g

Ice cream, regular, 10% butter fat, 50 g scoop

Custard, whole milk with custard powder, 2 T, 30 g

Subtotal:


1,192

  340

  425

  144

2 101


d) Drinks

Brandy or whiskey, 1 metric tot, 25 g

White wine, 3 glasses, 120 ml each

Champagne, 1 glass, 120 ml

Cream liqueur, 1 small glass 30 ml

Subtotal:

   260

 1,080

   360

   685

 2 385


e) Black coffee with mince pies, nuts & chocolates

Black coffee, 1 cup, 200 ml

Mince pie, 1

Mixed nuts, 30 g

Chocolates, mixed, 30 g

Subtotal:

   466

   760

   580

 1 806


Grand Total:

 
9 755 kJ

(Energy values based on the SA Food Composition Tables, 2010)

Considering that this festive meal adds up to nearly 10 000 kJ which are consumed in one long, often hot, sitting, is indeed cause for concern. It represent more than 100% of the daily energy requirement for an adult moderately active woman and is only 500 kJ less than the energy required by a moderately active adult man.

I think that most people will agree that eating this much food and drinking so much alcohol may well have been appropriate in countries where the mercury fell below zero on Christmas Day, but in sunny South Africa it is totally excessive.

How to remedy the overload?

So how can one remedy this threat to our health posed by symbolic foods and drinks and traditions which we practice at this time of year? There are various solutions and I hope that you will be able to think up your own as well. For example, one can reduce the size of the portions and omit whole sections of this meal starting with the after-meal indulgences.

Cutting out the drinks immediately removes approx 25% of the energy intake, but if you can’t face a celebration without having a drink, then rather reduce the number of drinks you consume, or stick to white wine diluted with soda water or ice.

Removing the drinks plus the after-meal indulgences will knock out 42% of the energy you consume and reduce your intake by a whopping 4 200 kJ.

Ideally, the entire meal should be replaced with light, low-fat foods like lean grilled meat or fish, salads and fresh fruits that are more in keeping with our climate and the fact that in our country, this festivity falls in the middle of summer.

We don’t need extra kilojoules to keep alive at sub-zero temperatures and we certainly do not need to add 10 000 kJ to our energy intake every time we have a birthday, attend a funeral, or participate in any one of the many traditional celebrations honoured by our diverse nation.

Let’s try to stop food symbolism from fuelling the rampant obesity epidemic in South Africa.

I would like to wish everyone peaceful and prudent Festive Season. Moderation in all things is the key to contentment and good health!

Reference:

Wolmarans, P et al. Condensed Food Composition Tables for South Africa. Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Cape Town, 2010.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE