With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the winter holiday season is about to begin. For many of us the holidays are a time spent traveling, family, traditions, and of course food! No matter what the holiday, eating with friends and family in celebration often means specialty foods and “treating yourself”. Your typical Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Hannukah spread is likely filled with foods that you don’t eat on a regular basis. Therefore, you may not be bashful about serving yourself an extra serving spoon full of your favorite traditional family dish. As a result eating outside the home makes meal planning and portion control a challenge. Here are a few healthful holiday helping tips to help cut calories and keep you on track to a healthful weight and relaxing holiday season.
Avoid caloric beverages all year long! A sip of eggnog to enjoy the season should be just a sip OR skip dessert. In just one cup (8 oz) of eggnog there are about 300 calories, 10g saturated fat and 134mg cholesterol. A better choice, believe it or not, is a slice of plain cheesecake with 260 calories, 8g saturated fat, and 44mg cholesterol or a slice of pumpkin pie with 230 calories, 2 g saturated fat, and 22mg cholesterol.
Skip the appetizers. Sit away from the cheese plate and avoid the table with the dip on it. These bite-size portions may not seem like a big deal, but they certainly will add up. Eating your fill in appetizers will cause you to overeat your calories indefinitely.
Fill up on veggies! Eating high fiber vegetables first will make you feel satisfied before you can even lift a fork to the roast beef and scalloped potatoes. If you are able to serve yourself, eat vegetables and salad first and then go back for your higher calorie favorites as a second.
Watch the gravies and added sauces. There are 40 calories in ¼ cup of turkey gravy and 110 calories in ¼ cup of the average whole cranberry sauce. These condiments add up throughout the meal. So if you are willing to cut back on the mashed potatoes and stuffing, then a little added sauce can fit into your calorie allotment.
Avoid eating to satisfy emotions. With the holidays often comes a sea of emotions. Your mother-in-law does not stop making comments about your home and your cooking while you cannot stop thinking about Christmas shopping and the report that is due at work before the end of the year. “Stress” is not reason to have another alcoholic drink and nibble on more baked brie. Emotional eating only makes us feel worse at the end of the day. Instead, take control by trying to separate your emotions and food by redirecting your emotions with another activity.
Overall, holiday meals should be fun. Hopefully these tips will help to make you feel more comfortable eating outside the home this holiday season.