The phrase “Christmas time: is nearly synonymous with cookies, candies and fatty foods,” but that doesn’t mean that enjoying holiday favorites has to be strictly off limits.
Contrary to popular belief, health concerns related to the holidays aren’t just about gaining a lot of excessive weight at one time. The average American gains only one or two pounds in between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. The problem lies in that most people never lose the excess pounds. Over the years, this weight can add up. In a matter of 5 years, you could have gained 10 or more pounds. The best way to prevent this from affecting your health is to avoid gaining weight in the first place.
Lucky for you, we’ve made this even more achievable. Try the following tweaks to your holiday meals:
Dips and Appetizers
Skip full-fat dips. Eat yogurt dip instead. Substitute low-fat or nonfat plain Greek yogurt or nonfat sour cream for regular sour cream in all of your recipes this season, and no one will be the wiser.
To put it into perspective: An ounce of sour cream has about 60 calories. An ounce of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has only 15 to 20 calories, and an ounce of nonfat sour cream has about 25. The savings from even a few small scoops quickly add up.
Green-Bean Casserole
Get more of the healthiest ingredient, and keep the traditional taste by adding extra green beans and less filler ingredients. Use low-sodium soup, and instead of using evaporated milk, use skim milk.
Mashed Potatoes
Replace mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower. Combine 2-3 heads of cauliflower with a few potatoes. This option is much healthier and won’t change the taste or consistency of the dish, especially with gravy.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an extremely healthy addition to Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, most sweet potato casseroles are loaded with marshmallows, brown and white sugar and loads of butter.
There’s an easy fix to this one: Pick one topping. Get a tasty treat that feels less like a dessert by choosing one sugary topping instead of all of them.
Meat
Choosing white meat over dark meat reduces consumption of fat and cuts back on overall caloric intake.
A serving of protein should be no larger than the palm of your hand. Limiting portions is essential to keeping Thanksgiving from being a source of un-needed weight gain.
Gravy
Make tasty Thanksgiving gravy with 1 cup of fat-free turkey broth, 2 tablespoons of flour, and seasonings to taste. If you still want to use the drippings from the roasting pan, remove the fat first
Use a fat-separator cup or place the drippings in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes and then skim off the fat that rises to the top.
It should also be noted that portion control is exceptionally important with gravy because it’s difficult to gauge the amount that is being consumed. Calories can add up quickly.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Sodas are packed full of sugar. The average 20oz soda contains 15-18tsp of sugar. That is over double the CDC’s recommended daily intake. Now imagine drinking several of them.
Instead of soda, try unsweet tea or water. They provide a tasty and fulfilling substitute that greatly reduce the chance of health risks and unwanted weight-gain.
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol metabolizes into sugar, so drinking alcoholic beverages is essentially adding directly to sugar intake.
Limiting intake of alcohol is key to being healthy. Have a glass of water every other drink. This helps to cut caloric intake and keeps dehydration from becoming an issue.
Eggnog
A glass of eggnog can easily have upwards of 250 calories, and more than half of your daily recommended dose of saturated fat. Swap eggnog for a glass of hot apple cider instead, and instantly save 100 to 150 calories and all the fat. If it’s just not a holiday without eggnog, make your own with egg substitute rather than eggs, fat-free milk in place of whole milk, and sugar substitute in place of sugar — you can still use vanilla and spices. Leave out the alcohol and you’ll save even more calories.
Don’t let the holidays keep you from staying healthy.
Contact us to learn more.
