The holiday season can mean parties, eating out, busy schedules with visiting family and friends and shopping for the perfect present. Good cheer, good food and good friends during the holidays are enjoyable. However, resisting the barrage of temptations from sweets to eggnog can be difficult and stressful. The good news is you can make a plan to help you make healthier choices and reduce your stress.
There are lots of easy ways to keep the delicious but lose the danger to your waistline and your health. Try these tips:
• Use a smaller plate to control portions.
• Include fruits and veggies, day to day and at parties.
• Include moderate portions of protein to curb hunger.
• Reduce sugar in desserts or eggnog by half and add a bit of citrus or more vanilla, nutmeg, or cinnamon.
• Try turbinado (raw) sugar, honey, or molasses—their strong flavor allows you to use less.
• You can reduce salt by half in most recipes without even noticing.
• Substitute fresh herbs and flavored vinegars for salt.
• Make your own hummus or salsa for a dip on a veggie tray with cucumber slices, jicama sticks, carrots, and celery.
• Buy lower-sodium versions of packaged foods.
• Go easy on salty condiments: pickles, catsup, mustard, soy sauce.
• Cut the fat in baked goods by half and replace it with unsweetened applesauce, prune purée, or mashed banana.
• Instead of full-fat condensed milk, use condensed skim in drinks, desserts, and even fudge.
• For gravy, heat fat-free, low-sodium broth (or drippings with the fat removed); mix flour into cold skim milk and pour slowly into broth, stir until thickened and season to your liking.
• Focus on people and conversations more than the food.
• Socialize away from the serving table.
• Take a walk, play a game, or share pleasant family stories and traditions.
Make sure to take time for you and your overall well-being. Plan to eat well, find time for exercise, stress relief and getting a good night’s sleep!
All of us at St. Luke’s Wood River wish you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!