Revealed: The ‘healthier’ advent calendars replacing chocolate with liquorice, green tea and protein bars (but be warned, they’ll set you back up to £55)

  • These healthier advent calendars replace milk chocolate with tea and popcorn
  • The Christmas Advent calendars range from just €3 to several costing more than €50

A healthier countdown to Christmas With these advent calendars it doesn’t have to be joyless…

MOO FREE DAIRY FREE

Moo Free advent calendars are available from Tesco for just £3. They contain no soya, dairy, lactose, gluten or wheat

£3, tesco.com; moofreechocolates.com

The chocolates in this range are free from soy, dairy, lactose, gluten and wheat; they are made with rice flour and suitable for vegans. In the ‘milk’ or white chocolate variant.

TEA PIGGS

Tea pigs sell an Advent calendar with a different tea bag behind each door.  It retails at Selfridges for £22.99

Tea pigs sell an Advent calendar with a different tea bag behind each door. It retails at Selfridges for £22.99

£22.99, selfridges.com

Behind each door is a different tea bag for a hot or iced drink, including limited edition blends like Spiced Winter Red (made with rooibos, orange peel, orange blossom and ginseng root).

Selected calendars contain ten ‘golden tickets’, with which you have a chance to win a gift.

HOTEL CHOCOLATE DARK

In each window of the Hotel Chocolate Advent Calendar is a small festive figure made of 70 percent dark chocolate.  On their website it costs £13

In each window of the Hotel Chocolate Advent Calendar is a small festive figure made of 70 percent dark chocolate. On their website it costs £13

£13, hotelchocolat.com

Filled with festive figures made with 70 percent dark chocolate – rich in antioxidants linked to lower blood pressure.

BAREBELLS PROTEIN BARS

This advent calendar is filled with protein bars, ideal if you want to build muscle.  It's available on the Barebells website for £54.90

This advent calendar is filled with protein bars, ideal if you want to build muscle. It’s available on the Barebells website for £54.90

£54.90, barebells.co.uk

At each door there is a protein bar with a different flavor – without added sugar, which provides approximately 20 grams of protein, which is used by the body to build muscle.

VEGAN POPCORN

This vegan advent calendar from Joe and Sephs, which costs £30, contains a mini bag of eight flavored popcorn in each window

This vegan advent calendar from Joe and Sephs, which costs £30, contains a mini bag of eight flavored popcorn in each window

£30, joeandsephs.co.uk

Dairy- and Gluten-Free Everyday Treats: A mini bag of eight types of flavored popcorn, including dark chocolate and toffee apple and cinnamon.

PIP&NUT NUT BUTTER CUPS

These nut butter cups from Pip&nut are vegan and gluten and palm oil free.  The calendar costs € 19.80

These nut butter cups from Pip&nut are vegan and gluten and palm oil free. The calendar costs € 19.80

£19.80, ocado.com

Every day you receive a cup of dark chocolate filled with peanut butter or almond butter. Vegan and free from gluten and palm oil.

Licorice

This 350 advent calendar is filled with chunks of flavored liqueur, which is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect

This 350 advent calendar is filled with chunks of flavored liqueur, which is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect

£50, lakridsbybulow.co.uk

Each window contains a piece of flavored licorice, which contains substances believed to have anti-inflammatory effects.

MATCHA GREEN TEA

Bird and Blend's matcha green tea advent calendar costs £52 but contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties

Bird and Blend’s matcha green tea advent calendar costs £52 but contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties

£52, birdandblendtea.com

This contains 24 mini cans filled with different flavors of matcha green tea, including mince pie and gingerbread chai.

Matcha contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a substance with anti-inflammatory properties.