The holidays are a time we look forward to all year long; a time to spend with family, time off from work and of course, a time to EAT delicious, home cooked food!! There is just something so comforting about the foods we eat during the holidays, but unfortunately, most traditional dishes take their toll on our waistlines! They are high in fat, sugar, sodium and empty calories. All the things that make them so tasty, right? Did you know the average holiday dinner has over 2000 calories? That’s more than most of us need in an entire day!!
So how can you enjoy the decadent tastes of the holidays without completely derailing your healthy eating and weight-loss progress? Here are a few tips and recipes that will help get you through the holidays.
- Drink plenty of water - it will help you feel full, help flush toxins out of your body and help keep you hydrated, especially if you’re planning on drinking alcohol or caffeine.
- Make time for some exercise - since we all have the day off, it’s a perfect opportunity to take that morning hike with friends or family.
- Take a few minutes for yourself before the “stress” begins. Maybe a few minutes of meditation or a brisk walk by yourself and “just breathe”.
- Eat clean and listen to your body:
- Load up on greens, skinless turkey and a bit of sweet potatoes
- Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering
- Watch your portions
- Stop eating before you feel full
- Substitute ingredients in your traditional holiday dishes; almond and coconut flour are great alternatives for regular flour in baked goods, in addition, they are Paleo, low-carb and gluten-free. Applesauce is a great alternative in recipes that call for vegetable oil. Use Greek yogurt in place of dishes that require cream. Fresh mushrooms and low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth are great replacements for the Cream of Mushroom soup in your green bean casserole. Add more spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla and use less sugar. Try a bit of pure maple syrup, molasses or Coconut sugar (lower in the glycemic index) instead of regular processed sugar. Always use fresh fruits and vegetables over canned or frozen. Try a few raw dishes instead of having only cooked dishes - they’re full of enzymes that will help you digest the cooked foods.
- Keep your goal in mind, but also, don’t deprive yourself - the holidays do only come around a few times a year.
- And finally, smile, laugh and cherish those you are fortunate enough to be with!! That to me is what THANKSgiving is all about. Being thankful for those we have, because we just never know what tomorrow holds.
Here are a few of my recipes if you need something new to serve!!
http://loriandersonholisticnutrition.blogspot.com/2012/10/quinoa-stuffed-acorn-squash.html
Info on Coconut sugar - http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_palm_sugar.htm
Health and happiness,
Lori Anderson RHN, CPT, CYT
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