Holiday Eating
2. Try to plan time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Try 10- or 15-minute brisk walks once or twice a day.
3. Stock up on healthy snacks. When you go shopping, be sure to throw some healthy snacking items in to your cart. Fill up on raw vegetables, such as carrots or celery, which can make a simple snack in times of temptation.
4. Eat regularly and don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite - don't starve yourself all day in anticipation (You're in danger of arriving there feeling ravenous and eating everything in sight). You will be less tempted to over-indulge. 5. Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering, and practice healthy holiday hooking. These days there is no excuse for not utilizing the many healthy ways in which food can be prepared. Preparing favorite dishes lower in fat and calories will help promote healthy holiday eating. Instead of frying, grill your food. If you're roasting, use one of the many available low-calorie spray oils. Try steaming vegetables to retain nutrients and flavor. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.
Gravy — Refrigerate the gravy to harden fat. Skim the fat off. This will save a whopping 56 gm of fat per cup.- Dressing — Use a little less bread and add more onions, garlic, celery, and vegetables. Add fruits such as cranberries or apples. Moisten or flavor with low fat low sodium chicken or vegetable broth and applesauce.
- Turkey – Enjoy delicious, roasted turkey breast without the skin and save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz serving.
- Green Bean Casserole — Cook fresh green beans with chucks of potatoes instead of cream soup. Top with almonds instead of fried onion rings.
- Mashed Potato — Use skim milk, chicken broth, garlic or garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter.
- Quick Holiday Nog — Four bananas, 1-1/2 cups skim milk or soymilk, 1-1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon rum extract, and ground nutmeg. Blend all ingredients except nutmeg. Puree until smooth. Top with nutmeg.
- Desserts — Make a crustless pumpkin pie. Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in baked recipes. Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk in cheesecakes and cream pies. Top cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of fattening frosting.
- Invest in lower fat ingredients for cooking. If you're preparing a big dinner, why not use half-fat ingredients whenever possible? It is often difficult to tell the difference where taste and flavor are concerned. You can even get low-calorie beers, wines and soft drinks. By simply swapping regular ingredients, foods and drinks for their half-fat alternatives you can make a big cut-back on fat and calorie consumption.
- Cut the sweetness. When making pumpkin pie or eggnog, reduce the amount of sugar by half and enhance "sweetness" by adding a bit more vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. If recipes call for sugary toppings like frosting, jams and syrup, use fresh fruit instead.
- Shake the salt out. You can reduce salt by half in most recipes too. Also go easy on salty condiments, such as pickles, catsup, mustard and soy sauce. Instead offer cucumber slices and fresh tomato or fruit salsas. Or try lower-sodium versions of mustard and soy sauce. In recipes, substitute fresh herbs and flavored vinegars for salt.
- Trim the fat. In baked goods you can cut the fat by about half and replace it with unsweetened applesauce, prune puree or mashed banana. Instead of full-fat condensed milk, use condensed skim in pumpkin pie and eggnog. For gravy, heat fat-free, low-sodium broth (or drippings with the fat removed); mix flour into cold skim milk and pour slowly into broth, stir until thickened and season to your liking.
7. Be wary of sugary foods: Always remember that rich, sugary foods have a nasty habit of making us crave yet more rich and sugary foods. We've all been there...over-indulging in sweet or rich food...feeling bloated, sick, and making rash promises to never eat again...and, a couple of hours later, finding ourselves back in the kitchen, picking at leftovers. By ensuring that you practise healthy eating over the holidays, and throw in some form of regular exercise, you can expect to have more energy and fewer cravings.
8. Be careful with beverages and moderate alcohol intake. Don't forget that alcohol is fattening too. That innocent-looking glass of sparkly wine or that small bottle of beer may look as though it will do no harm. However, alcohol contains calories and lots of them. Try and control the amount of alcohol you consume over the holiday period and, in the same way as food, try not to over-indulge regularly. There are plenty of lower-calorie beers and wines available that can help, so opt for the healthier version whenever possible. Alcohol can also lessen inhibitions and induce overeating while non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar. Try to lean towards ice water and 100% juices.
10. If you overeat at one meal go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!
11. Take the focus off food. Turn candy and cookie making time into non-edible projects like making wreaths, dough art decorations or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Try serving a holiday meal to the community, playing games or going on a walking tour of decorated homes.12. Most importantly, enjoy the holidays! Plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, but don't restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite holiday foods. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.
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