Well, it’s that time of year again, the holiday season. It’s all about getting together with family and friends. Although in reality, it seems as if it’s more of an excuse to eat and drink all the junk we can for at least a month! So is it even possible to have a healthy holiday season?
Yes, I think so! And I think it can be just as fun and tasty! But it takes a little time to reframe our thinking about it. Unfortunately, we’ve all been conditioned from the time we were very young to expect all the sweet and rich foods that have become American traditions. But it’s about time we formed some new holiday traditions since we seem to be getting less healthy by the year.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you know that over 73% of Americans are now either overweight or obese. And the leading causes of death in the U.S. are mainly a result of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. But we can change that a little at a time. We just need to be open to change and start being more proactive about our own health and that of our family.
I’ve come up with quite a few strategies over the years for getting through the holidays with less guilt and no weight gain. So I thought I would share my tips with you and see if any of them can help you to have a healthier holiday season too!
If you’re hosting then you’re in charge!
Guess what? If you’re cooking the main meal for your family for a holiday dinner, then you’re in charge. Just let everyone know that you’ll be trying out some new healthier recipes this year. Every dish doesn’t have to contain heavy cream, a ton of butter, marshmallows, or cheese in order to be good!
Make it a game by giving your family members a challenge to find a healthy side dish to share too. Not only will it make it a more interesting holiday meal but you might find some new favorites! If one of them isn’t a big hit then try something different next year. One “miss” doesn’t make all healthy recipes bad!
I don’t like the idea that “tradition” means doing things exactly the same way every year (I get bored easily!). So I like to mix it up with different dishes. But maybe you want all the same dishes. If that’s the case, you can still make them healthier by swapping out unhealthy ingredients for healthier ones.
I think that the “tradition” over the holidays should be the getting-together part, not the eating part. Besides, if we work at being healthier it means we’ll have more good quality years to spend together!
I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes from my 2009 Taste of Home Christmas cookbook. It’s not a “healthy” cookbook by any means, but I did get this one from it and it’s now a favorite. It’s called Almond-Cranberry Squash Bake and I use it almost every year now. There’s just a little butter and sugar in it but not enough to write it off as unhealthy!
If you’re a guest then bring a healthy dish
If you’re not in charge but going to someone else’s home for a holiday meal then be the one to bring a new healthy dish to share. You might be the only one to care, but at least it’s a start! This is your chance to show people that a healthy holiday can be just as good!
I decided years ago to start this tradition. I know when I go to a holiday dinner that there are very few healthy options there. So I just bring something that’s more natural, with mostly organic ingredients. For example, I always make homemade cranberry sauce as opposed to using canned. It’s easy to make and so much better! Plus, it can be made days in advance.
Related article: How to lose weight on a plant-based diet.
Mashed potatoes are a good example of a popular side dish that can be made much healthier with one simple swap-out. Just use greek yogurt instead of sour cream or heavy cream as an ingredient and you’ll save yourself a lot of calories and fat but also get much more protein.
Check out healthyfitnessmeals.com for a great mashed potato recipe that I used and loved this year! Then go to soupersage.com to see just how much you can benefit from using greek yogurt over sour cream for tasty and creamy potatoes. Little swap-outs like these can make a big difference!
Make a “one-plate rule” for yourself
This is the time of year when you really want to watch your portion sizes. Since so many of the dishes are filled with extra calories you might want to make yourself a “one-plate rule” for holiday meals. If you want to try everything then just take smaller than usual portions and make it all fit on one plate. Then quit!
That way you’ll cut down on some of the calories while keeping yourself from overeating and being uncomfortable all day. And when it comes to desserts, just have one or two that you love for the day then stop. There’s no reason to try everything that’s on the table. But again, if you want to do that then just have a small bite of each.
When I was younger I used to snag a treat every time I walked past the dessert table so I had no idea how much I ate in one day. Now I remind myself that I don’t need to try it all and doing that only makes me feel worse. You already know what most of them taste like anyway. It takes a little willpower but if that doesn’t work for you then try my next tip.
Don’t hang out in the room with all the treats!
This is another habit I started many years ago. When I see food I want to eat it, whether I’m hungry or not! I think this is a pretty common problem. So instead of hanging out in the room with all the food, I find another room to sit in. That way I can focus on visiting with family without the temptation of snacking. Remember the saying “out of sight, out of mind”? It’s true!
Unfortunately, the food that’s sitting out is usually the stuff that doesn’t go bad so it’s the worst kind to be tempted by! If I want a healthy holiday season then I remind myself that one plate of food is enough for a meal. Just like any other day. Stuffing myself like a turkey doesn’t make my day better!
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that it takes about 13 minutes of walking at 3 mph to burn off the 49 calories that are in just 1 Tbsp of sugar? That’s almost 40 minutes of walking to burn off one average cookie! Now think about how much sugar you consume between Thanksgiving and the New Year. It’s gonna take a lot of walking to work it all off!
Related article: What does it mean to “eat healthy”?
A healthy holiday is about being with loved ones
Before I even go to a holiday get-together I remind myself that the most important reason we gather is for the relationships. Otherwise, we would all just eat at home like we usually do!
So while I’m hanging out in the “non-food” room I focus on catching up with family members I don’t see much. Some of you may see your families more often but ours are scattered all over the state. Yes, we’re all there to share a meal but the point is to spend time together and get caught up.
And here’s another tip. Instead of sitting with your immediate family that you see all the time, sit with a cousin, an aunt, or a grandparent and talk with them. They may not be around that much longer (I had a 52 yr old cousin suddenly die last year).
Show you care by taking an interest in what’s going on in the lives of your loved ones. Focusing on socializing will help to keep you from thinking about eating.
Related article: Spending time with “family” to renew relationships.
What about the rest of the holiday season?
So far, I’ve focused on the holiday meal part of the season. There’s also the fact that in-between those events we tend to eat more treats in general this time of year. So how do you deal with that?
Try to be mindful of what you’re eating and why you’re eating it. It’s important to pay attention to how much you’re ingesting, especially when it comes to sweet treats. And to do this you need to read the labels on everything you consume so you know just how many calories are in them. But also ask yourself if you’re eating out of actual hunger or just cravings.
Do you know how many calories are in Egg Nog? Check out Calorie King for an idea about that. It’s ridiculous! And that’s why it tastes so good! It doesn’t mean you can’t have any. Just be aware so you don’t overdo it. Knowing the calories helps me to say no more often than not.
Another way to offset the eating of sweets is to eat more fruits and veggies all season long. If you fill up first on natural foods you won’t be so hungry for the junk. Besides, you need to get some nutrition somewhere!
And finally…exercise!
Since we are consuming more “treats” during the entire holiday season it’s important to make time to exercise a little more to offset the extra calories. Consumer Reports estimated that we consume anywhere from 3,000-4,500 calories during a Thanksgiving meal. During a normal day we usually only take in an average of about 2,000 calories. That’s a big difference!
No matter what you eat you’re probably consuming more calories than usual. So this isn’t the time of year to be “too busy” for exercise. In fact, this is the most important time of year to make a daily habit of it! Don’t wait until January when the damage is already done. Make it a healthier holiday season by keeping your weight under control. Then you’ll have a head-start on the new year!
Start a new habit of taking a daily walk, either outside or on a treadmill. Then start a tradition of inviting your family members to walk with you after your holiday meal. You’ll get to socialize and maybe even work off a piece of pie! Every little bit of movement adds up to help you in the long run.
Related article: 4 Simple reasons to have a winter exercise plan.
My final thoughts
I realize that some of you are thinking “It’s the holidays and I’m gonna live it up and eat and drink as much as I can!”. That’s totally fine, it’s your life and your body. If you only overindulge for a handful of days over the holiday season you’ll most likely not suffer any real consequences. It’s the continuous overindulging that leads to negative results.
Everywhere we go over the holidays we’re tempted by rich treats that are hard to turn down. I’ve also noticed that most people take part in 2-3 holiday meals with different extensions of their families. And people generally don’t know how many calories most foods and drinks contain anyway so it makes it hard to guess what our intake really is.
So my recommendation is to pay attention to how much and what you’re eating and take your exercise routine seriously over the holidays. If you’re not motivated to exercise during the holidays then you’re not going to feel motivated to work even harder in January when the damage is already done!
For me, it’s worked better to keep my eating and drinking under control. I don’t want to have to work out at a higher intensity to burn more calories after the fact. And my goal of weight maintenance is much easier to control with these strategies. So take care of yourself. Not just for the short term but for your future health and wellness.
In the contact form below, tell me about any healthy recipes you’ve found or tips you’ve got for having a healthy holiday season.