BEFORE now and New Year, nothing healthier than the dubiously fruity insides of a mince pie will pass your lips. Here are your new five-a-day:
Turkey sandwich
You were sick of turkey by 3pm on Christmas Day, but because your mum insisted on buying a 12lb bird to feed a family of four, one of whom is a vegetarian, you’ve got to have the leftovers in at least one sandwich a day for the next week. And if you refuse, your relatives will insist that you are personally spitting on every starving child around the world.
Chocolate Orange
The nearest you’ll get to any vitamins for the next few days, and that’s purely because it has the word ‘orange’ in the name. It’s also the closest you’ll get to any physical exercise, as it will take some hefty whacks on the edge of a table to crack it open.
Mince pie
While mince pies may contain some dried fruit, it has been so thoroughly rinsed in sugar syrup that any goodness it once contained is long gone. You could try convincing yourself that having a fancy one with frangipane in is essentially like eating a handful of almonds, but you’d be wrong and might as well just chomp your way through a tablespoonful of sugar instead.
Roast potatoes
Despite your dad thinking everyone would eat at least ten potatoes during Christmas lunch, you only managed two and there are approximately 90 leftover. They’ve been reheated at least four times but you’re still gamely shoving a couple down at each subsequent meal, even breakfast. Yes, they’re a vegetable, but still not one of your five-a-day, even at Christmas.
Twiglets
Twigs grow on trees, just like apples, which means Twiglets are a healthy, natural option, right? Sadly, by this stage your brain has been almost completely destroyed by booze and mindless Christmas films, and you have forgotten that a Twiglet is not an actual stick but a starchy, Marmite-flavoured snack. It’s time to go back to work.
