Food Standards Agency reveals the nation's Christmas cooking and eating habits...

New consumer research from the Food Standards Agency reveals some fascinating insights into the nation's Christmas cooking and eating habits. We'll also be serving up some healthy top tips and advice to ensure that this year, Christmas is all wrapped up.

Christmas is a great time to hit those five a day fruit and veg targets, but just what veg comes in as cream of the crop? A survey by the FSA revealed that carrots came out tops as the nation's favourite vegetable with 16% of adults surveyed picking the flame coloured vegetable, as their favourite. Broccoli came a very close second with 15%.

Not flavour of the seasonal month is the Brussels sprout, which was chosen as the least favourite vegetable, with 18% of adults surveyed. Furthermore, 18% also said that they only ate Brussels sprouts at Christmas. But don't be so quick to pass the plate on the humble sprout as it's a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Don't just stick to your favourite vegetables this Christmas as, remember, all vegetables are good sources of important vitamins and minerals, with many of them being high in vitamin C, B vitamins such as folate, carotenes (which are turned into vitamin A in the body), potassium and magnesium. Eating a variety of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day helps keep us healthy and may help protect us from heart disease and some cancers.

And there's more good news, as vegetables are low in fat and are a good source of fibre (which helps make meals more filling), by eating lots of them, you'll feel fuller for longer. Remember when cooking vegetables, microwave or steam them to preserve more vitamins.

Seems like we are indeed a nation of food lovers, as a massive 76% of people surveyed said that one of their favourite aspects of Christmas was tucking into the traditional turkey and trimmings, and a further 14% said that knowing they could eat lots of food was their favourite part of Christmas.

With 40% of people surveyed saying that they have experienced cooking too much food for the Christmas meal, what is the best way to deal with those luscious leftovers? The Food Standard's Agency's storage tips will help ensure you enjoy safe Christmas eating this year.

• Always place cooked meat and poultry in the fridge to avoid any potential food poisoning bacteria growing and multiplying.
• If you're cooking turkey or a joint of meat for Christmas lunch and there are leftovers, remove all the meat from the bone, put in a covered container, leave to cool (for no more than two hours), store in the fridge and use within 48 hours. Alternatively, you could freeze the left-over meat.
• If you are using leftover meat to make a pie or a curry, only reheat the meat once and ensure that the dish is piping hot all the way through.
• Prepared salads and leftover vegetables should also be stored in the fridge. Do not leave them standing around at room temperature and keep them away from any raw foods to prevent potential cross contamination. However, it's fine to leave whole lettuces, tomatoes etc at room temperature as problems only arise once the salad ingredients are chopped up and mixed together.

For many, particularly those who don't cook often, Christmas can be a real challenge. With so many things to think about in the run up to the big day, it's no wonder that it's not just the vegetables that get steamed up.

Agency research showed that 21% of respondents who cook the Christmas meal said that they only started planning what they were going to cook for Christmas dinner a few days beforehand and, surprisingly, a further 25% said they either plan it on the day or don't plan it at all. 34% of those polled stated that doing the Christmas grocery shopping was their least favourite part of preparing the Christmas meal.

Cooking the traditional turkey can be a real labour of love and, as the turkey usually sets the timings for cooking all the accompanying dishes, it's important to get it right! Agency findings revealed that 33% of respondents said that the stress involved with cooking and planning the Christmas meal including getting the timings exactly right for the food was what they least enjoyed about cooking Christmas dinner.

Furthermore 58% of respondents who cook the Christmas meal, said they will spend between two and four hours preparing and cooking Christmas dinner, and a further 27% said they will spend more than five hours!

We all know someone who has spent hours slaving away in the kitchen only to end up with an undercooked, overcooked or burnt bird - this year don't make the same mistakes, as help is at hand - visit the Agency's eatwell website at the link below for the FSA's guide to defrosting and cooking the perfect turkey.

Lay off the salt
Agency research revealed that 23% of those who cook the Christmas meal said they will be cooking Christmas dinner taking into consideration various conditions such as allergies, food intolerances, diabetes and high blood pressure.

With high blood pressure contributing to more than 170,000 deaths in England alone every year (Department of Health, The Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health, 2001), one of the key things to watch out for is your salt intake. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure and high blood pressure triples the risk of heart disease and stroke. So keep an eye on the amount of salt you're consuming and keep your heart healthy not just at Christmas but all year round. For tips and advice on how to cut down on salt in your daily diet, visit the Agency's website: www.salt.gov.uk, at the link below.

It would seem that Britons love the idea of a global Christmas cuisine, as 57% of people surveyed who cook the Christmas meal, say that they would consider cooking a non British menu for their Christmas dinner - the top cuisine of choice was Italian, with 30% of the votes, only just beating Chinese (27%) and Indian (23%) into second and third place respectively.

For an alternative Christmas there are lots of healthy recipe options - fire up the wok for a Chinese turkey stir fry or turn up the heat in the kitchen and make a home-made Indian turkey-curry packed with vegetables.

Remember, some ingredients such as soy sauce and ready made sauces can be high in salt, so choose low or reduced salt options and instead enhance the flavour by adding ginger, garlic, chilli, or fresh herbs.

Vegetarians will also be enjoying a bountiful meal this Christmas, with 19% of those polled saying that they will be cooking a vegetarian option as part of their festive feast. More than a third will be cooking up a nut roast for the vegetarians around the table, while only 13% will be choosing a quorn/soya/turkey meat equivalent.

If you're vegetarian, ensuring that you get enough protein or iron is important. So when sitting down to the Christmas meal, include protein rich foods such as pulses, nuts and seeds, eggs, soya products, milk and dairy products, as well as green vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli.

Food Standards Agency consumer research into Christmas eating and cooking habits conducted by RSGB with a representative sample of c.2000 GB adults in November 2006.

To view FSA Christmas factsheets on top tips on healthy eating over Christmas, Top Christmas turkey tips and advice, and Cracking festive food facts, visit the link below.