Enjoy the holidays without bloating or restriction. What to choose for a festive dinner with friends?

Celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year present the perfect opportunities for mith, merriment, and especially good food, but often also for bloatedness, a heavy feeling in your stomach, and a guilty conscience to top it all off. The good news is that, by choosing the right dinner to put on the table, you can enjoy the holidays while supporting your digestion and without risking your target body weight. 
The key isn’t in giving things up, but in finding balance – especially in the evenings, when your body needs a lighter meal. 

The best dinners for a healthy end of the year  

Enjoying a light, healthy dinner aids in soothing your digestive system and preventing that feeling of bloating during the nighttime. The ideal choice is combining a lean protein, complex carbs, something probiotic, and easily digestible vegetables. 

Recommended choices: 

• lean proteins: fish, turkey, chicken, eggs 

• boiled or steamed vegetables: zucchini, carrots, broccoli, spinach 

• fermented dairy products: Greek yogurt, kefir 

• clear soups and vegetable stews 

• smaller portions of complex carbohydrates: rice, oats, buckwheat

Try to avoid heavy sauces, fried food, white bread, and fizzy drinks, as they often cause bloating. 

Follow 5 simple tricks: 

• Eat slowly and chew well, as chewing thoroughly is the first step in digestion. 

• Have dinner at least 2–3 hours before going to bed. 

• Limit foods that naturally cause bloating (cabbage, beans, dairy) 

• Go for at least a short but brisk walk after dinner, as it supports digestion. 

• Drink plenty of water and herbal teas (mint, fennel, ginger). 

Easy holiday dinner with friends (3-course menu) 

Ingredients for 4 people: 

• 1 large pumpkin or squash (Hokkaido or butternut) 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil 

• a pinch of thyme 

• 300–500 ml vegetable stock 

• Greek yogurt to taste 

• salt, white pepper 

Preparation time: 

• 30–40 minutes 

Preparation:

Pumpkin 

• Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds. 

• You don’t need to peel Hokkaido, but do peel butternut. 

• Cut into larger cubes. 

Baking (the key to nailing that festive flavour) 

• Preheat your oven to 200 °C. 

• Spread the pumpkin over a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and sprinkle with thyme. 

• Bake for 25–30 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelised. 

Cooking 

• Transfer the baked pumpkin into a pot. 

• Pour in the vegetable stock (just enough to barely cover the pumpkin). 

• Cook for 5–10 minutes so the flavours intertwine and deepen. 

Mixing 

• Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. 

• If needed, add a bit more stock. 

Season 

• Salt to taste. 

• Add a pinch of white pepper. 

• If you want a more velvety texture, add a spoonful of Greek yogurt at the end (optional). 
  

Ingredients for 4 people:  

Meat 

• 700–800 g turkey fillet 

• 1 tbsp olive oil 

• salt, white pepper 

Glaze 

• 1 tbsp mild mustard 

• 1–1.5 tsp honey 

Vegetables 

• 4–5 carrots 

• 2 zucchini 

• 4 beetroots (pre-boiled) 

• olive oil, salt, dried tarragon 

If you're worried the dish might be too light, you can add cuts of 3 large potatoes to the vegetables. 
 

Preparation:  

Vegetables 

• Cut the carrots into sticks, and the zucchini and beetroot into larger pieces. 

• Drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt. 

• Bake for 25 minutes at 200 °C. With 10 minutes left, add tarragon to taste and give the vegetables a good mix.  

Turkey 

• Salt and pepper the fillet. 

• Quickly sear it on all sides in a pan. 

• Mix the mustard and honey and brush it over the meat. 

• Transfer to the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes. 

• After baking, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice. 
   

Ingredients for 4 people:  

Baked apples 

• 4 medium apples (sweeter ones: Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious) 

• 1–2 tablespoons honey (to taste) 

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 

• 1 teaspoon butter (optional, for a festive flavor) 

Yogurt cream 

• 250 g Greek yogurt 

• 1 tablespoon honey 

• optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla 

For garnish  

• a pinch of cinnamon 

• a few finely chopped walnuts or almonds 

Preparation: 

Baked apples 

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C. 

• Peel the apples, remove the core and cut them into small cubes. 

• Place them in a baking dish, add honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and butter. 

• Mix and bake for 20–25 minutes, until they soften and lightly caramelize. 

• Let them cool to lukewarm or cold. 

Yogurt cream 

• Mix the Greek yogurt with honey and vanilla until you get a smooth cream. 

Assembling in jars:

• Put a layer of baked apples on the bottom of the jar. 

• Add a layer of yogurt cream. 

• Repeat with another layer of apples. 

• Finish with a spoonful of yogurt cream. 

Festive finishing touch: 

• Sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon on top. 

• Add a few nuts or a drizzle of honey. 

• Serve in glass jars. 

It's easy to enjoy yourself during the holidays with no bloating or feelings of guilt. By choosing light and balanced meals, you can calm your digestion, manage your appetite, and keep your blood sugar steady, even during the most indulgent season of the year.

Bloating isn't something you just need to accept as just part of the holidays. You can often ease it with just a handful of small changes. Eating slowly, enjoying warm meals, and thoughtfully putting food combinations together help keep things in balance. That way you can enjoy company, a full table, and even a yummy dessert without feeling heavy.  

Movement is also an important part of feeling good. Even a short walk after dinner or a light morning workout can jumpstart your digestion and help regulate your appetite. You don’t need to overdo it: it’s enough to stay gently active and in touch with your body.  

Let this year’s holidays be kind to your digestion and to how you feel. Take care of your body, it will be grateful.  

Sources 

• Harvard Health
  

• Mayo Clinic

• UCLA Health

• Cleveland Clinic

• Wikipedia