Christmas food is one of the nicest of the whole year. There is nothing like the aroma and taste of a golden, succulent turkey, a fruit laden Christmas pud, a booze laden Christmas cake and the rest of those wonderful goodies.

With these temptations most people gain a pound or two, but for some of us Christmas becomes an excuse to eat anything and everything in sight, and then some of us seem surprised when we realise that we’ve gained half a stone.

Yet with a little care you can still enjoy the festivities and not have a 7lb gain in January.

Your Christmas lunch can exceed 3,000 calories, yet with a few simple adjustments it can be half the calories and all the taste. Follow these steps and remember ‘Don’t tell the family and they’ll never guess that you’re cutting the calories’.

1. Begin with a low-fat starter, treat yourself to a slice of smoked salmon or a piece of fresh melon.
2. Slip mushrooms or onion slices under the breast skin and roast the turkey in foil (unwrapping to brown for the last half an hour of cooking time). This helps to keep the meat moist without using added fat.
3. Remove the turkey skin completely or chill the turkey juices after cooking and then remove the surplus fat before making the gravy.
4. Breast meat dries out quickly so keep it moist by roasting the turkey breast side down for a while, then on one side and then the other. Finish with the breast up so that the breast skin turns a lovely golden brown.
5. Never baste the turkey with fat, use non-fat stock or the low calorie spray oil.
6. Try cooking the stuffing in a separate dish rather than in the bird, this will prevent it absorbing extra fat.
7. Dry roast potatoes and parsnips.
8. Pile your plate with plenty of vegetables.
9. Make your own slimming Christmas pudding with custard made with skimmed milk and sweetener, or try yogurt, or low-fat fromage frais, rather than brandy butter or cream.
10. Finish your meal with coffee, served with dates or figs rather than chocolate.