Transcript Healthy Holiday Eating Guide

Sherri Flynt, MPH, RD, LD
Center of Nutritional Excellence
Florida Hospital
Twas the Month After Christmas
Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse
The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waste
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
“”Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won’t have a cookie – not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I’d remember the marvelous meals I’d prepared
The gravy and sauces and beef nicely rared,
I won’t have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I’m hungry, I’m lonesome, and life is a boreBut isn’t that what January is for?
The punch and the goodies, the bread and the cheese
And the way I’d never said, “No thank you, please.”
As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt –
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot,
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
I said to myself, as I only can
“You can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!”
So – away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Tips for Healthier Holiday Living
Typical holiday meal
Holiday Goodie
Calories
6 oz roasted turkey, dark + white,
untrimmed
450
1 cup homemade stuffing
400
1 cup giblet gravy
300
1 cup mashed potatoes
350
1 cup candied sweet potatoes
400
½ cup cranberry sauce
200
2 rolls with butter
300
1 cup English peas with butter
150
1 slice pecan pie
650
TOTAL
3200
Tip #1: Be realistic
 Don’t pick November 24 as the day to start your new
“diet”
 If you have been working on weight loss during the
year, aim for weight maintenance during the holidays
 Maintaining your weight with all the holiday
temptations should be considered a worthy goal!
 If you have been incorporating other healthy behaviors
into your lifestyle throughout the year, go easy on
yourself if you decide to indulge a bit over the holidays
Tip #2: Eat before you eat
 Don’t arrive at holiday parties famished
 We eat more and we eat faster when hungry
 Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast
 Even a small, healthy breakfast will help keep the
holiday cravings at bay
 Provides energy for all your holiday errands
 Research shows that skipping meals usually leads to
consuming extra calories throughout the day
Tip #3: Just say no!
 At parties, we tend to eat, or keep eating, beyond our
body’s physical hunger just because there is food
 This is known as recreational eating, to minimize this:
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Make one small plate of the foods you really want
Eat slowly, savoring every bite
When you are finished, pop a stick of gum, get a tall glass of
water, or non-caloric beverage, to sip
“Step away from the food” - don’t position yourself by the
buffet table
 Remember Tip #2: Eat before you eat!
Tip #4: Beware the liquid calorie
 What we drink during the holidays is just as important
as what we eat
 Holiday drinks can be loaded with calories (150-450)
 Fruit punch, sodas, juices, spiced cider
 Eggnog
 Hot chocolate and special holiday coffees
 The brain doesn’t sense liquid calories the same way it
does solid food calories, so it is easy to overindulge
Tip #5: Portions, portions, portions
 Remember, the only thing that should be stuffed
during the holidays is the turkey!
 Eat just until your are comfortably full
 Whether at home, or a holiday party, use a smaller
plate for eating – 7 inches is ideal
 Savor holiday treats in smaller portions – no guilt!
 Balance your plate with vegetables and fruit
Tip #6: Don’t stress
 Don’t be hard on yourself if you overindulge at one
meal, or party
 Get back on track at the next meal
 Maintain perspective
 The truth is this – one piece of pie won’t go straight to
your hips
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It takes about 3500 calories, a week, over you normal intake to
gain one pound
 Limit your treats to small servings
Tip #7: Move!!
 Be physically active most days of the week
 Our schedules become more hectic during the holidays
and exercise is the first thing to go
 Physical activity helps to relieve holiday stress, regulate
appetite, and burn some of the extra calories we indulge
in
 It is ok to maintain during the holidays
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Do 20 minute aerobic workouts most days if you don’t have
time for your regular exercise routine
Don’t forget strength training
Find seasonal activities the whole family can enjoy
Tip #8: Focus on family & friends
 The holidays are a time to:
 Reunite with family and friends
 Share laughter and cheer
 Celebrate and give thanks
 Focus more on these holiday pleasures
 Make the company of those you love the center of your
gathering, not the food
Tips for healthier holiday foods
 Gravy
 Refrigerate to harden the fat, then skim fat off
 This saves 56 grams of fat per cup
 Dressing
 Use a little less bread and add more onions, garlic,
celery, and vegetables
 Add fruits such as cranberries or apples
 Moisten or flavor with low fat/low sodium broth and
applesauce
Tips for healthier holiday foods
 Turkey
 Enjoy roasted turkey without the skin
 Save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz serving
 Green Bean Casserole
 Cook fresh green beans with chunks of potatoes instead
of cream soup
 To with almonds instead of fried onion rings
 Mashed potatoes
 Use skim milk, chicken broth, garlic or garlic powder
and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter
Tips for healthier holiday foods
 Quick Holiday Nog
 4 bananas
 1 ½ cups skim milk or soymilk
 1 ½ cups plain nonfat yogurt
 ¼ teaspoon rum extract
 Ground nutmeg
 Blend all ingredients except nutmeg. Puree until
smooth. Top with nutmeg.
Tips for healthier holiday foods
 Desserts
 Make a crustless pumpkin pie
 Substitute two egg whites for each egg
 Replace heavy cream with evaported skim milk
 Top cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of
powdered sugar instead of fattening frosting
Typical holiday meal
Holiday Goodie
Calories
6 oz roasted turkey, dark + white,
untrimmed
450
1 cup homemade stuffing
400
1 cup giblet gravy
300
1 cup mashed potatoes
350
1 cup candied sweet potatoes
400
½ cup cranberry sauce
200
2 rolls with butter
300
1 cup English peas with butter
150
1 slice pecan pie
650
TOTAL
3200
Healthier holiday meal
Holiday Goodie
Calories
3 oz roasted turkey, white, trimmed
130
½ cup boxed stuffing (no calorie butter) 110
1/3 cup giblet gravy
100
½ cup mashed potatoes, skim milk, no
calorie butter spray
100
½ small baked sweet potato, pat of
butter, dash of cinnamon
100
1/6 can of cranberry sauce
100
1 roll, ½ pat of butter
125
½ cup English peas (no calorie butter)
60
1 slice pumpkin pie with whipped
topping
450
TOTAL
1275