No. 3 – Give time

Invite your lonely old neighbour for a Christmas drink or cup of tea and cake. Or offer to babysit for the frazzled mum in your street so she can do her Christmas shopping.

No. 2 – Give a cow – or a goat or an immunisation.

Tear Fund and other charities will send you a card with a picture and description of what the gift is. It’s the ideal gift for the person with a social conscience.

No. 1 Give a smile : A cheerful look brings joy to the heart – Proverbs 15:30

Some people might say that Christmas is the most unhealthy time of the year, and not just because because of all those Christmas parties and Grandma’s fat-saturated shortbread and Christmas cake.

There’s the frantic spending, exhausting socialising, crazy traffic and the frequently fraught family negotiations over just where and how to spend Christmas day. Yes, Christmas can be downright dreadful – exceedingly lonely or excessively stressful. But it doesn’t have to be.

It’s easy to forget that Christmas is all about celebrating the greatest gift the world has ever received: God’s gift of his son Jesus to anyone who wants to accept it. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. John 3:17

So on this theme of giving , I’m doing 12 healthy Christmas tips – spread out from now until Christmas.  They cover not just healthy food and exercise but also ideas for emotional, social and spiritual health. I would love to hear if you try any, or if you have any healthy giving tips you would like to share.

Fish has been known as brain food for decades, if not longer. Now we have the science to prove it. The WHO and FAO jointly recommend that pregnant and nursing mothers eat seafood twice a week to optimise brain and nerve development in the growing fetus and infant.

For toddlers and older kids it’s all about creating healthy habits. Whatever food kids learn to enjoy will be the food they most likely choose once they leave home. Teach your kids to love seafood. Don’t give up at the first screwed up nose. Set an example. Make it a habit. How about making Friday ‘Fish Day’?