The holiday season is traditionally a time when many people celebrate with food. We attend company parties, eat out with visiting guests and enjoy family Christmas or Chanukah dinner menus loaded with delicious family recipes.
Unfortunately, a traditional holiday meal often contains 2,000 calories or more -- an entire day's worth for many people! According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American takes in 4,500 calories just on Thanksgiving Day -- and much of that comes from appetizers and snacking before the main meal.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid eating too much and gaining weight at the holidays without being deprived of a little celebratory indulgence.
Substitutions Make Healthy Recipes
There are a multitude of small substitutions that can make a favorite recipe healthier and lower in calories. Consider the following substitutions for common high-calorie and/or high-fat ingredients:
- When baking with butter, margarine, shortening or oil, substitute half the amount called for with applesauce or prune puree.
- Instead of using butter, margarine, shortening or oil to prevent sticking, use cooking spray or nonstick pans.
- Cook with chicken broth or canola oil instead of butter.
- Substitute two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute for a whole egg
- For fruit canned in heavy syrup, substitute fruit canned in its own juices or water, or fresh fruit.
- Replace regular cream cheese with fat-free or low-fat cream cheese.
- Instead of regular sour cream, use fat-free plain yogurt, or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
- For ground beef, substitute extra-lean or lean ground beef, chicken or turkey.
- Instead of regular mayonnaise, use reduced-calorie mayonnaise-type salad dressing.
- Replace regular salad dressing with flavored vinegars or reduced-fat or fat-free dressings.
- Use low-sodium or reduced-sodium versions of any soups, sauces, dressings or crackers or canned meat, fish or veggies.
- Instead of sugar, use Splenda.
- Replace regular table salt with herbs, spices, or salt-free seasoning mixes or herb blends.
- Try using whole-wheat or whole-grain bread, rice and pasta.
- When baking, replace 1/2 the white flour with whole-wheat flour.
- Instead of whole milk, use reduced-fat or fat-free milk.
To prove the point: substituting light sour cream for regular saves 160 calories (per 8 oz.), and light cream cheese has 240 fewer calories than regular. Light mayonnaise has less than half the calories in the same amount of regular mayo. And replacing one cup of sugar in baking with one cup of Splenda saves 750 calories. Yet in most cases, guests won't even know the difference.
Plan Ahead for Healthy Holiday Eating
The company holiday party is coming up, and everyone is bringing something delicious. How to avoid overeating? One method is to plan ahead.
- Eat before the party. Snack on some fruit, a cup of light yogurt or a salad with fat-free dressing before going to the party to avoid facing all that delicious holiday food on an empty stomach.
- Work out. Exercise earlier in the day and burn off some of those calories in advance.
- Make a game plan. Identify some favorite foods and plan ahead to indulge in a few of those items while filling up mostly on fruit, raw veggies and other, lighter items.
- Drink plenty of water. Filling up on plain old H2O, both before and during the event, is healthy and offers far fewer calories than punch, soda or alcoholic beverages.
- Make a pact with a buddy. Find a coworker who also wants to avoid that holiday weight gain and agree to help one another resist temptation.
Don't Overdo It at Christmas Dinner
Whether it's Christmas, Chanukah, New Year's Eve or any other family holiday occasion, even the best pre-planning may not keep us away from all those party foods and beverages. So … how can one enjoy a holiday party in moderation? Here are a few more tips to help avoid overeating.
- Just like before the party, drink plenty of water during the festivities to keep feeling full.
- Chew gum or sugar-free candy. It keeps the mouth busy and helps reduce the appetite.
- Try to concentrate on non-food activities. Watch the big football game, catch up with cousins from out of town or play a game of chase with the kids in the backyard.
- Bring a lighter holiday recipe to the get-together to introduce family or friends to the idea.
- Fill up on the lighter and healthier items on the buffet table. Pick pretzels instead of chips, fruit rather than heavy desserts and grilled or baked meats instead of fried items.
- Use the smallest available plate to avoid piling up large portions of anything.
- Don't go back for seconds. Make a promise to visit the food table just once -- and stick to it.
- Politely refuse to take home leftovers, especially of rich, fattening holiday food.
In the end, most of us will probably indulge at least a little at the holidays. Those who have an exercise routine already are encouraged to stick to it, as that will help burn off some of the extra calories consumed. Those not exercising regularly should consider trying to add a 30-minute walk to their schedules, even if it's only three days a week (five is even better). But no one has to live through Thanksgiving, Christmas and the rest of the holidays on nothing but celery sticks. With a little planning and a few smart recipe tips, healthy holiday eating doesn't have to be an oxymoron.
Sources:
The Calorie Control Council
The National Institutes of Health
Robin Mayhall - I'm a versatile writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience, and I personally battle rheumatoid arthritis.
