Holiday Eating

The Holidays are almost here!  My favorite time of year!!  Who doesn't look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas and all of the fabulous food that goes along with them?!  The holidays wouldn't be the same without all of our favorite foods!  So trying to eat healthy without totally depriving yourself during holiday eating can seem pretty impossible.  I'm a firm believer that you should allow yourself to indulge now and then...so go ahead, splurge a little!  BUT that doesn't mean you have to lose total control and can't still make smart choices!  Throwing all control out the window will just cause you to overeat and take in HUNDREDS of extra calories that could easily be avoided ! There are tons of ways that you can save calories during holiday eating and I thought I would share a few easy ones: 

 

1. Eat breakfast! Don't think that skipping breakfast will "save" calories that you can use later for the big meal. It's not true! Meal skipping and starving yourself will just lead to overeating later.  If you're starving when you sit down to eat, you'll be more likely to not only overeat, but use less control over your food choices.  A healthy breakfast with some protein and fiber will help take the edge off your appetite. Try having an egg with a slice of whole-wheat toast, or a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk.

2.  "Lighten" up your recipes! Whether you're the host for a holiday dinner or you are making side dishes to take to a family gathering, try making healthier versions of the dishes.  A few tips for this:

-  Replace the fat in stuffing with low-sodium chicken broth  - Many recipes have 2 to 3 sticks of butter or margarine as the "liquid" to moisten the bread stuffing. Replace all that fat with equal amounts of low-sodium chicken broth for extra flavor without calories.  A cup of chicken broth is around 10 calories — compared with an ounce of butter at 100 calories. (A stick of butter/margarine is 800 calories.)

- Use sugar substitutes in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of oil in baked goods.

- Try plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream in creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles.

- Lose the crust. The crust is fat laden, and most people won't even miss it. Try baking your favorite pumpkin pie filling in small ramekins and top with chopped walnuts or a spoon of whipped cream.  You can do the same for apple pie  — Bake the apples with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon in a small ramekin.

3. Skip the skin!  You can cut your calories in half per serving by eating the meat you like — very little difference in calories of dark and white meat, but skipping the skin.  For a 6-ounce serving of turkey, taking off the skin saves about 300 calories.

4.  Portion Control!!  Try using a tablespoon to serve yourself instead of the typical serving spoon. Compare a tablespoon in serving size to a typical serving spoon — about one-third to one-half cup. You can save hundreds of calories on all those side dishes just by downsizing your serving size with a Tablespoon instead!  Also, just skip over the dishes that you can have year round - don't waste the calories.  Treat yourself to a small portion of all your favorites that only come around on the holidays.  Also, SLOW down and avoid going back for seconds!!  Eat slowly and drink plenty of water with your meal.  After that first plate, take a break before going back for second helpings...If you give your food a little time to settle, you will usually find that one go round has you plenty satified!

5. Alternate your alcohol. Alcohol contains a whopping 7 calories/gram!  That's almost as much as fat (which is 9 calories per gram). Those calories can add up!  If you're going to drink alcohol at family gatherings this holiday season, try alternating...have a drink and then have a water, seltzer, or diet soda to cut your calories in half.  If you're a wine drinker, you can alternate the same way or try having a "spritzer" through the evening — half wine and half seltzer — as another way to cut calories.

6. Exercise!!!  As always, some exercise is always best.  Although the first thing we usually want to do after leaving the dinner table is head to the couch, avoid that!  Grab a family member or friend after dinner and take a 30-minute walk.  A walk will help aid digestion and even though it may be hard to avoid the initial temptation to lay around after your holiday meal, once you start your walk, you're usually going to feel better and be glad you did it! Plus, a little secret... most gyms are open on the Holidays for at least a few hours. Get up early and get a workout in!