The days are getting shorter, the sun is disappearing earlier, the mercury is falling like the multicolored leaves that have long since accumulated in crisp piles on the ground—this can only mean one thing: it is officially holiday season. Holiday season might as well be called party season, which means lots of tempting, delicious treats and drinks. Are you ready for your diet to get derailed? Didn’t think so. From eggnog to roast ham, casserole to cookies, gravy and dressings, the food during these winter holidays is secretly packed with not-so-good-for-you fats, sugars, carbohydrates, and loads of calories. Why trade a fit figure for holiday favorites that are typically high in caloric content, when you can have both? Satisfy your festive appetite and keep your beautiful bod’ looking hot with these delicious and nutritious tips for substitutes, modifications, and healthful recipes instead!
Holiday Helper #1: Pick It or Skip It—Holiday Food Edition
Some of the most common holiday foods include meats, breads, cookies, and other sweets. To cover all the bases, let’s begin with a gentle reminder to avoid gorging yourself on excessive amounts of treats, no matter how yummy they are. You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: everything in moderation.
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Meats
Skip: red meat in general but particularly roast ham and beef pot roast. Also, skip the skin of meats, which contains lots of fatty calories.
Pick: lean meats like poultry and fish. Try fresh baked lemon-grass chicken or roast turkey (without the skin)
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Baked sweets
Skip: pecan pie (500-800 calories depending on slice size), shortbread cookies, pie crust, Russian teacake cookies
Pick: gingersnaps, meringues, pumpkin muffins, mini fruit tarts
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Sides
Skip: standard stuffing, cheese straws (aka cheeseballs), sweet potato casserole, potato salad
Pick: fresh salads (the more colorful your salad, the more vitamins and nutrients!), unsweetened fruit compote, whole grain roll, cranberries, baked (not candied or casseroled) sweet potatoes
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Snacks
Skip: macadamia and brazil nuts, cashews, candy, peanut brittle, truffles, potato chips and creamy dips
Pick: raw or toasted almonds, dried fruit, pretzels or baked chips, vegetables and hummus dip
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Condiments
Skip: cream-based salad dressing (e.g., ranch, Caesar, bleu cheese), traditional gravy
Pick: light balsamic, vinegar, or wine salad dressing, and wine-reduction in place of gravy
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Preparation styles
Skip: honey-glazed, butterball, fried, breaded, candied, and anything with “cream of” in its name are all good signals that the food is stacked with fatty calories
Pick: grilled, stewed, sautéed, marinated, baked, broiled, seasoned
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Healthy Recipes:
Holiday cookies are just so tempting. Are you in the mood to try something new like a chewy chocolate Boot Track cookie, or maybe a One Nutty Date, Lava Rock, or an Almond Cherry Bite? Or is your sweet tooth craving a seasonal favorite? Check out some delicious recipesfor wholesome holiday cookie options here, here, and here.
Holiday Helper #2: The Best and Worst Festive Beverages
Some of the most common holiday beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are eggnog, hot chocolate, ciders, butter beers, and seasonal mixed drinks. Unfortunately when it comes to drinks, it is often hard to tell which are the nutritional culprits and which are not so bad. So we broke it down for you:
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Drinks to Avoid:
- Traditional Eggnog
- White Russians
- Buttered Rums
- Margaritas
- Milky, nutty, chocolate or caramel specialty coffees
 Better Alternatives:
- Steamed apple juice
- Unsweetened apple cider
- Hot chocolate (without the mini marshmallows)
- Peppermint, vanilla, or cinnamon spice teas
- Skim or soy milk!
For in depth nutrition facts about your favorite holiday drinks, visit here.
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Healthy Recipes:
Holiday drinks are everywhere! From seasonal parties to family gatherings and even in your own fridge, it may seem impossible to escape their tempting presence—especially that horribly delicious eggnog! Check out some healthy holiday drink recipes here.
And here (for healthy eggnog).
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Holiday Helper #3: Portion Control Police!
Part of keeping the holiday diet damage in check is being aware not only of what you eat, but also of how much you eat. It’s all about portion control and selectivity. What you put into your body determines, in part, what you get out of your body. You know that energetic, talkative, cheerful girl (with the gorgeous, glossy hair and radiant skin) who somehow seems to be the shining star of all the festivities—even that early brunch with dear old Gramps? She most likely eats in a similar manner to her charismatic, clear-skinned demeanor. Does she keep a strict, calorie-for-calorie diet journal? Heck no. I’ve never seen such a girl whip one of those out mid-party, and neither should you.
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But you can reap the benefits of a diet journal without a single scribble, simply by being aware of what kinds of things are better for you than others, watching your portion sizes, and keeping your head on straight. If you have to taste Aunt Alison’s famous casserole, Granny’s four kinds of homemade gingersnaps, and Sally Sister-in-Law’s marshmallow bars that she’s been bragging about since the wedding, just try them to sample and fill up on healthier foods beforehand.
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As long as you don’t gorge yourself on anything, you can’t do too much damage. But if you’re ending your meal with a bulging stomach night after night, it’s bound to show on the scale. So keep your portions in check, regardless of what food you’re putting into your moth!
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Holiday Helper #4: Get Crafty in the Kitchen
Gotta have Nana’s homemade, passed down recipe for chocolate chip cookies? Then simply substitute out some of the fatty, sugary ingredients for more nutritious ones. Some modifications to the typical, generic recipes can save you from the post-meal bloating and an extra few pounds:
- Replace each tablespoon of butter with an equivalent tablespoon of heart-healthy oil, like canola or vegetable oil.
- To keep the moisture and texture of the cookies, you can also use 1 to 4 tablespoons of a liquid ingredient (like fruit juice, skim milk, or nonfat buttermilk) in place of up to 4 tablespoons butter.
- Add some fiber by using fiber-fortified ingredients like whole-wheat flour or oats, which adds about four times as much fiber to your cookies (or other pastry) than using white flour.
- Even adding just 2-4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds to a batch of cookies creates a richer flavor and provides more fiber.
- Grease your pans and pots with the healthy oil instead of butter before making eggs or pasta and everything in between.
- The key is making sure to substitute enough of the butter to cut calories but not so much as to lose the moistness of the baked good and cut its shelf life short. Be sure to use airtight containers to store your treats for later since you just replaced fat, which is a natural preservative.
Holiday Helper #5: How to Acquire Super-Human Willpower
When those delectable morsels over on the buffet table look too tempting (or in anticipation of this), try using one of these tips to curb your appetite:
- Chew on a stick of gum
- Engage in conversation
- Bring a dish or two to the party, so you know that you have a healthy option at your fingertips
- Show up to the party full or after having already eaten something (even just an apple will help fill up part of your stomach so there is less room for additional food).
To check out more information on portion sizes and nutrition facts, visit here.
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Now you’re ready to tackle the holidays while keeping your belt in the exact same place.
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Sources:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2341744/7_fattening_holiday_foods_to_avoid.html?cat=5
http://www.rxlist.com/naughty_list_holiday_foods_slideshow/article.htm
http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/holiday-food-temptations
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/diet-busters-ten-high-calorie-holiday-drinks
http://www.healthcastle.com/holiday_foods_shocker.shtml