Enjoy Your Christmas Treats for Fewer Calories
Tasty calories tempt us from all directions at Christmas. A minefield for people trying to lose weight or minimise weight gain over the festive season. As the saying goes, ‘I can resist anything but temptation’.
So how do you have a very Merry without piling on the pounds or being a party pooper?
To help with damage limitation, we went shopping at six major supermarkets to look for the calorie highs and lows of popular Christmas sweet treats.
We looked at calories in mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, Yule logs, Pannetone and Stollen.
We have used the recommended serving sizes as stated by the manufacturer. However, there is nothing stopping you having a smaller portion to save a few more calories.
Mince Pies
If you're partial to a mince pie (or few) over the festive season, you could be adding quite a few extra calories. Luckily most of the big supermarkets have see the light and now most offer mini mince pies. We think this is a geat idea - so long as you stop at one!
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Finest Mince Pies |
WLR RECOMMENDS! Finest MINI Mince Pies |
| Sainsburys |
Deep Filled Mince Pies |
All Butter Mini Mince Pies, Taste the Difference |
| Asda |
Extra Special All-Butter Pastry Mince Pies |
Baker's Selection Mince Pies |
| Morrisons |
The Best Mince Pies |
The Best MINI Mince Pies |
| Waitrose |
Shortcrust Mince Pies |
Mini All Butter Mince Pies |
| Aldi |
Holly Lane Deep Fill Mince Pie |
All Butter Cognac Laced Mince Pies |
| Mr Kipling |
Deep Filled Mince Pies |
Iced Top Mince Pies |
If you stop for a coffee, take care - Costa’s Mince Tart will set you back 390 cals! It is a bit of a beast at 103g, so you could share one with a friend for 195 calories each instead.
Christmas Cake
Christmas Cake is heavy on the calories. So, if you want to have your cake and eat it, what can you do? You could try having a smaller portion than recommended on the pack. After all it is the first few bites that taste the best, especially when you're eating cakes and puddings. Or have a look at alternatives to a big single cake. Bars, slices and bites all help keep portions in check.
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Finest Mini Iced Christmas Cake |
Finest Rich Christmas Cake |
| Sainsburys |
Star Garland Iced Christmas Cake, Taste the Difference |
Iced Rich Christmas Cake, Taste the Difference |
| Asda |
Baker's Selection Full Iced Christmas Cake |
Baker's Selection Iced Christmas Bar |
| Morrisons |
The Best Hand Decorated Fully Iced Christmas Cake |
Rich Fruit Christmas Cake Slices |
| Waitrose |
Christmas Iced Christmas Cake |
WLR RECOMMENDS! Christmas Iced Fruit Cake Bites |
| Aldi | 
Luxury Christmas Cake, Specially Selected |
Iced FruitChristmas Cake, Specially Selected |
Christmas Puddings
Christmas pud is normally very high in calories because of the alcohol and richness. The wlr foodies were surprised that, in many cases, the luxury range puddings fared better than the others. Individual puddings were lower in calories than a recommended serving of their larger counterparts. There are also a couple of supermarkets now offering healthier options too. Here's our findings...
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Classic Christmas Pudding |
Finest Individual Christmas Pudding |
| Sainsburys |
Luxury Fruit & Nut Christmas Pudding |
WLR RECOMMENDS! |
| Asda |
Extra Special 9 Month Matured Luxury Christmas Pudding |
Individual Extra Special 9 Month Matured Luxury Christmas Pudding |
| Morrisons |
The Best 6 Month Mature Christmas Pudding |
M NuMe Individual Christmas Pudding |
| Waitrose |
Duchy Originals Organic Christmas Pudding |
12 Month Matured Christmas Pudding |
| Aldi |
Luxury Champagne Christmas Pudding |
Luxury Vintage Hand Crafted Christmas Pudding |
Or try making your own using wlr's Low Calorie Christmas Pudding Recipe with just 219 calories per portion.
There’s also Heston’s Christmas Pudding Flavour Ice Cream that has just 171 calories per 100g, available from Waitrose.
Yule Log
If your Christmas tea table isn’t complete without a Yule Log, you may want to keep a close eye on your serving size. Have a slice of Tesco’s Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log and yule be adding 274 calories to your day... But it sure looks good! In the wlr office we're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of Aldi's rather appealing Yule Log Cake (calories yet to be discovered).
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log |
Chocolate Yule Log |
| Asda |
Extra Special Hand Finished Belgian Chocolate Frosted Yule Log
|
Christmas Yule Log |
| Morrisons |
The Best Chocolate Fudge Yule Log |
WLR RECOMMENDS! |
| Aldi |
WOW! Look at this one - details coming soon,,, |
If you're stopping for a quick coffee and cake, be warned Costa's Yule Log Muffin weighs in at a whopping 433 calories! If you do fancy a splurge, maybe share with a friend for 217 calories each.
Stollen
A slice of Stollen can add a massive 399 calories (Kuchenmeister Marzipan Stolen). If you're looking for an easy way to keep on track but still have a little of what you fancy opt for Stollen bites and have one or two. (Maybe, just the one if you shop in Asda!)
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Finest Cherry and Almond Stollen |
WLR RECOMMENDS! Finest Stollen Bites |
| Sainsbury's |
Fruit & Nut Topped Stollen, Taste the Difference |
Stollen Bites |
| Asda |
Kuchenmeister Luxury Marzipan Stollen |
Kuchenmeister Stollen Bites |
| Morrisons |
Stollen Cake Slices |
Morrisons don't currently offer Stollen Bites in their Christmas range - try cutting the slices into 2 or 3 bite sized pieces instead! |
| Waitrose |
Christmas Stollen |
Christmas Stollen Bites |
| Aldi |  Holly Lane Marzipan Stollen Bites 111 calories per bite |
 Luxury Stollen Bites with Jamaican Rum 92 calories per bite |
Panettone
Unlike Christmas Pudding, indvidual or single serving Panettone actually have MORE calories per serving than their larger counterpart. A Mini Panettone from Asda is a shocking 400 calories per cake! (Obviously, you could just eat half the mini one and halve the calories too).
| Instead of this... | Try this... | |
| Tesco |
Finest Amaretto Panettone |
WLR RECOMMENDS! Panettone |
| Sainsbury's |
Mini Panettone |
Panettone |
| Asda |
Granducale Con Gocce di Cioccolato Panettone |
Granducale Con Gocce di Cioccolato Panettone |
| Waitrose |
Classic Panettone |
Christmas Panettone |
| Aldi |
Panettone |
Prosecco Panettone, Specially Selected |
If you are trying to watch the calories this Christmas, introduce some of our swaps and you can still have some of the lovely treats without seriously breaking the calorie bank!
Start a Free Trial Today
You can use the tools in WLR to plan your Christmas food, or your New Year recovery! It's free to have a go and you can print a shopping list for any plans you make.