Even though this year's holiday season may look a little different, one thing is for sure... we will all celebrate with food! I think the holidays are the hardest time of year for anyone to stick to their healthy eating routine. Not only are there goodies everywhere, but the emotional side of food pulls at our heart strings. We want to enjoy the meals and dishes from our childhood or make family recipes that we have been enjoying for years!
So how do we enjoy the holidays and its food traditions AND stay healthy? We become more aware of what we are eating and how we can make small tweaks that will be in our favor without feeling deprived or like we are missing out on the best parts of the holidays.
Swap Butter for Olive Oil or Coconut Oil - I have been to the dinner that literally everything is covered in butter. Afterwards you can feel the greasiness in your stomach and it sits heavy! We can swap the butter for olive oil on vegetables, squash or roasted potatoes. In baked goods we can experiment with using coconut oil or nut butters.
Snack Smarter - Pre-dinner snacks are a big thing around the holidays, but can add up to a lot of calories. Instead of the classic cheese and crackers. Serve or prepare veggies with hummus or homemade guacamole.
Make Your Plate Colourful - This applies if you are the one making dinner or eating at someone else's home. If your plate looks like meat, mashed potatoes, stuffing and a bun, you are missing the vegetables! Not only does eating monochromatic lack colour and vitamins, but it will leave you feeling heavy. Add sides of carrots, green beans, salad, broccoli, sweet potato, or squash, the possibilities of the veggie rainbow are endless!
Portion Your Plate - Along with adding more colour, take a look at your plate. Is it half starchy carbs and half meat? Or is it half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter starch? Most of us overload on the carbs before dessert even comes around. Then we feel like we need a nap and regret overindulging. Enjoy your holiday favs, but choose wisely! If you have mashed potatoes, skip the stuffing. Holiday eating is a lot like every day eating, there's just more temptation right in front of us! The watch out is when we have the leftovers for the next 3 days and another family meal. So pace yourself, chances are you can enjoy your other favs the next day for lunch!
Let Your guests add the Condiments - A little olive oil or sea salt with herbs can be apart or good food preparation, but let your family add the rest. Be light with the condiments so your guests can choose. If you are a visitor, kindly ask what is on the vegetables, potatoes and sides. The extra butter, salt and sugar in sauces or condiments can add up and leave us feeling like we ate 2 meals instead of one. Be mindful of the "add-ons" when you're cooking and if you are visiting, ask to have your portion plain.
Eat Dessert, Just not ALL of the Desserts - I love dessert and I look forward to eating it, but I have to keep in mind WHAT and WHEN I am eating so I can enjoy it without feeling like I overindulged. After dinner, choose 1 dessert. Again, it will likely be there tomorrow if you really want something else. If you are really full, don't feel like you have to eat it. Wait an hour or so or just wait until the next day and enjoy your fav at lunch. If you are visiting family, ask to take a few of your favorite treats home.
Overall, I think we can go into the Holidays WITHOUT an ALL OR NOTHING Approach. No one said we have to overeat every meal over the holidays ! Listen to your body and eat when you're hungry. Make your holiday favorites with a healthy twist and plan to enjoy the family classics on special days. Balanced living is apart of everyday and you can eat those "one time of year" foods without feeling guilty, but also stay in our healthy routine by eating your balanced meals throughout the day before dinner. We should all enjoy these celebratory meals with joy and avoid stressing about food. It's all about eating well so we don't feel like we are restrictive, but not completely letting go of the good habits we worked so hard to maintain.