It's our working assumption that when the Christmas pudding appears, calories stop existing.
There's only one time in the year where we can shovel mince pies and sweets into our mouths with abandon, but before festive excess settles in, a new study is lifting the lid on how many calories are in your Christmas dinner.
The study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health aims to shed some light on how we should be eating healthily this year by showing readers how much exercise would be needed to burn off the calories in our usual Christmas snacks.
Now, the last thing we want to do is put you off your favourite festive treats but if you're trying to balance things out this holiday season, this study may help you find a healthy balance.
The logic is that if you knew how many calories were in a mince pie (ahem, 260, ahem) you might be less likely to overindulge.
Wishful thinking for many of us, to be sure, but it's always worth being more mindful about what we eat, and a little indulgence isn't a bad thing when balanced out!
If you really want to mind what you eat this Christmas, there are some simple swaps and adjustments to how you cook and eat that can shave off loads of calories.
Removing skin and fat from your turkey and ham after cooking, roasting potatoes in vegetable oil rather than butter or duck fat and choosing smoked salmon or salads over cheese for a starter will all go a ways to balance things out.
Here are the calories in some of our favourite festive foods, and exercise needed to burn them off:
Mince pie: 260 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 51 minutes
Christmas pudding: 416 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 81 minutes
Christmas cake: 412 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 82 minutes
Duck-fat roast potatoes: 320 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 62 minutes
Three slices of turkey with skin: 194 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 38 minutes
Two balls of stuffing: 108 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 21 minutes
Gravy, 75mls made with meat juices: 225 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 44 minutes
Cranberry sauce, two tablespoons: 86 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 17 minutes
Smoked salmon: 132 calories per 113g
Exercise needed: Walking for 26 minutes
Chocolates, three from a box: 136 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 26 minutes
Brandy butter, heaped tablespoon: 213 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 41 minutes
Single cream: 56 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 11 minutes
Large glass of white wine*: 228 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 45 minutes
Bucks fizz, 220ml: 110 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 22 minutes
Champagne, 125ml: 90 calories
Exercise needed: Walking for 18 minutes.
*If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit Ask About Alcohol.
