Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive or boring.

On Sunday at The Canalside, 75 people joined us for a festive pre-Christmas lunch—and once again we proved that Christmas food doesn’t need to be junk food.

Participants enjoyed fresh, natural food beautifully presented in festive ways, including:

• Vegetables arranged as Christmas trees

• Tomatoes, mozzarella, and homemade pesto shaped into a festive “candy cone”

• Coleslaw and broccoli salad

• Homemade bread

• Eggs

• Natural yoghurt with grains, nuts, and seeds

• And of course, the star of the meal: juicy, protein-rich chicken drumsticks

One of the themes we discussed during the event was that healthy, tasty food doesn’t need to be expensive. For example:

A pack of chicken drumsticks costs £2.15. With two drumsticks each, one pack feeds five people — just 43p per person.

A kilo of carrots costs 69p. Combined with a few other vegetables, one pack was enough to make four delicious Christmas-tree platters, with plenty of carrot sticks for all 75 participants.

For just £19.60, 75 people could enjoy an egg each.

We made three trays of focaccia for a total of £4.30 feeding 75 people.

We baked six homemade spelt breads for £7.50 — that’s just 1p per person.

Homemade coleslaw is one of the cheapest foods you can make. A cabbage costs only 79p, and a kilo of carrots is 69p — enough to feed lots and lots of people.

A kilo of Greek-style yoghurt is only £2, and we bought 5 kg. Served with homemade cakes, fruit, and nuts, it helped ensure everyone went home satisfied.

Altogether, we enjoyed a healthy Christmas lunch for less than £2.50 per person.

Many of the participants had already taken part in our healthy eating courses this autumn, so this was a great opportunity to demonstrate how easily the Eatwell Plate can be adapted for any family gathering this Christmas, without breaking the budget. 

We also invited attendees to sign up for our January challenges, and both new and already committed participants joined in. In just half an hour, we had:

• January Walking Challenge – 53 people signed up

• Eat 30 Plants & 7 Animal-Based Proteins Challenge – 39 people signed up

We’re hoping many more families will sign up over the next few weeks.

It was a wonderful day filled with good food, learning, and community.

We interviewed several people and asked how changes to their lifestyle had impacted their lives. It was so encouraging to hear so much positive feedback — it truly works. Read Tony’s story here.https://www.livenaturally.org.uk/post/remission-from-type-2-diabetes-through-lifestyle-changes-tony-s-inspiring-story

A huge thank you to the Hinkley Point Community Fund for funding our healthy lifestyle courses. Your support helps families in Bridgwater make lasting, meaningful changes to their diet and lifestyle.