Tips for Healthy Eating During the Holiday Season | Medical Center ...

Here are ways you can enjoy a nutritious and healthy holiday season.

The holidays are almost here! Kalyani Alladi, Clinical Dietician at MCM, has written this blog post to help us prepare for healthy eating during the weeks ahead.

Obstacles to healthy eating during the holidays:

• Holiday foods
• Beverages
• Parties
• Eating out
• Shopping
• Gifts of food
• Not enough time

Plan a healthy holiday menu:

• Make an oven roasted turkey instead of fried turkey.
• Choose healthy options. Sweet potato casserole, for example, offers these vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A & C, fiber, potassium.
• Limit casserole dishes and high fat foods. Make green bean almandine instead of green bean casserole. Substitute mashed potatoes with herb roasted potatoes.
• Use more broth-based soups and sauces.
• Use low-fat substitutions while making desserts. For instance, try low-fat whipped products like Cool Whip. Substitute 1 tbsp flour whisked in 1 cup of low fat milk instead of heavy cream. Or use ? cup oil & ? cup apple sauce in baked products instead of 1 cup oil.

Choose your beverages wisely:

• Beer, sweet wines, mixed drinks and liquor can have 150 to 450 calories per glass! Sodas and eggnogs also contribute a lot of calories.
• Select light wines, light beers and low calorie non-alcoholic beverages.
• Limit drinks to 1 or 2 at any occasion.
• Drink plenty of water.

Balance your meals at parties:

• Don?t fill up your plate with calorie-laden foods.
• Have a small portion of everything, including fruits and vegetables.
• No food is ?out of bounds? ? just remember portion control.
• Do not overeat! Remember ?moderation? is the magic word.
• Beware of recreational eating. We tend to keep eating because eating is considered part of socializing.

Eating out:

• Choose vinaigrette or olive-oil-based salad dressings.
• Choose grilled and steamed vegetables rather than battered, fried vegetables.
• Select entrees that are broiled, roasted, poached, or steamed. Avoid butter- and cream-based sauces. Share a large entree or take a ?to go? box.
• Choose a low fat dessert? or share a dessert!

Holiday shopping:

• Make a shopping list. That way you will avoid buying un-necessary items and minimize your trips to the mall.
• Pre-prep for parties and cook ahead on weekends. That way you will avoid stress. Be sure to keep foods simple and delish!

Do you need a new doctor or specialist? For a physician referral at Medical Center of McKinney, please call 1-855-296-6265. Medical Center of McKinney wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Source: http://blog.medicalcenterofmckinney.com/2012/11/13/tips-for-healthy-eating-during-the-holiday-season/

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