There is such a thing as Healthy Holiday Foods. Here, a few key foods and tips to help you avoid typical weight gain during the holiday season.
Turkey is a dynamite healthy protein source — unless it’s deep fried and slathered with gravy, of course.
- Did you know a serving of turkey provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid and is a good source of vitamin B, zinc, and potassium?
- These nutrients have been found to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against cancer and heart disease, and boost the immune system.
- A normal portion size is usually 3 to 4 ounces — stick to white meat and peel the skin off to save hundreds of calories at the dining table.
Sweet potatoes are among the healthiest vegetables around – just leave out the butter, marshmallows, or some other high-calorie holiday sabotage. Keep the flavor very intense without adding fat by roasting your sweet potatoes this year! Sweet potatoes fare bursting with fiber, vitamin A, potassium, and phytochemicals, which help prevent aging, cancer, and arthritis.
It’s not the holidays without a slice of pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin is packed with heart-healthy fiber and vitamin A. Use skim milk and egg substitutes to make any recipe healthier.
- #SOBikini trick: Avoid accidentally gorging on a high-fat dessert by bringing dessert. You control the ingredients including the amount of sugar.
Prefer pecans to pumpkin? Avoid a heap of high-fat pie!
- Sprinkle this delicious nut or walnuts on salads, add it to stuffing, or snack on a few as a precursor to the meal. Pecans, and nuts, in general, are a great source of vitamin E and magnesium, which supports muscle strength.
- Plus, nuts are a great source of protein, fiber, and the same “good” fats as olive oil.
- Toast nuts in the oven at 225*F for about 45 minutes to bring out the natural oils and flavor.
My personal holiday favorite spices are nutmeg and cinnamon. Nutmeg, with its nutty, earthy flavor, and cinnamon, which shines with its sweetness, can do a whole lot more than only garnish no #SOBikini eggnog. Mixing these spices into fruit or vegetable sides can help you lower your cholesterol and maintain insulin levels in the blood.
Cranberries are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and fiber content which helps to lower “bad” cholesterol levels. WARNING: because these beautiful berries are naturally low in sugar, many recipes call for large doses of added sweetener. Steer clear of all that sugar and, instead, try adding a natural sugar substitute.
Power to pomegranates! One of the most healthy holiday foods and probably, one of the most underused. Not only a gorgeous fruit that is proving its worth as one of the richest sources of antioxidants around, it’s popping up more and more in holiday dishes. You can indulge in the health benefits of pomegranates by simply buying a bottle of juice to add to your favorite recipe. Or, sprinkle the pretty seeds over salads and side dishes.
Cocktails
While you know wine and cocktails can add unnecessary calories to an already over-the-top meal, wine delivers heart-healthy properties in exchange for the calorie count (about 100 calories per 5-ounce serving). All wine is naturally heart-healthy in moderation, but red wines provide the most antioxidant bang for your calorie buck.
- Wine tip: the dryer the wine, the higher the concentration of those disease-fighting properties.
- A #SOBikini tip: To keep calorie count to a minimum, ask the party host for a glass of spritzer! Half white wine half calorie-free seltzer water.
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