YOU CAN MAKE HEALTHIER MEALS, SNACKS, APPETIZERS, DESERTS AND LEFTOVERS TOO!
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could get the Nutrition Facts of your holiday meal just by taking a picture of the entire feast? There’s always another holiday just around the corner. At least it can seem that way – all year long. Each one has specific edibles (whether that be meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy or — candy!) that are customary to eat. “Eat” is putting it mildly. We indulge with big portions frequently. “Holiday nutrition” to most of us seems to be an oxymoron or at least something that just can’t be. This article we think can equip you to make HEALTHIER holiday nutrition your reality.
There are plenty of healthy eating Bible verses that can be used to condemn just about every yummy holiday goody you’ll encounter. Using the Bible to force change during the holidays can be a spiritual setup that Satan uses to cause strife and problems. Here at Faith & Fitness Magazine we want to help you take some simple steps toward honoring God by making a commitment to BETTER holiday nutrition.
HEALTHIER IS DEFINITELY BETTER
The macaroni, stuffing, sweet potato and other baked recipes are often high in carbs. Add a whole stick of butter or two to make it really decadent and you just loaded up with lots of fat too. Yeah and a good amount of salt really brings out the flavor. Plus some sugar! Honestly, that beautiful garden salad you make with lots of raw veggies and just a light splash of vinaigrette is going to be the real holiday nutrition. Eat a big serving of it and you get an immediate 100 bonus points so to speak. But come on, those carb dishes — if you’re like most people during the holidays, you’ve gotta’ at least sample a spoonful or 2! What can you do?
Make the holiday dishes you prepare with better holiday nutrition in mind. For example if the recipe calls for a stick of butter, reduce that amount to 3/4 or even 1/2 of a stick. AND – back off the amount of salt you put in it too. It’s still a carb dish with fat and sodium but it’s a bit healthier and that is definitely better.
In other words the holidays are definitely not the time to try to get everyone to be vegan, lose weight and build muscle. If they go away from this meal having eaten more vegetables, not gained as much weight as they usually do and being a bit more active than last year then you can celebrate that you brought better holiday nutrition to the holiday gathering.
Here’s some more ideas to make the holidays healthier:
- Typically people try a little this and a little that. So make more smaller healthier dishes so they can try more “healthy”. Sure, maybe you were asked to only bring 1 side dish – and it just so happens to be the really rich pie for which you’re famous for making (before you got serious with your faith and fitness lifestyle). Go ahead and make it amazing and then also bring a couple small healthier dishes to add to the already huge buffet table. Tell ’em, “I saw this recipe. It looked delicious and I just had to try it for the holiday.”
- Push the water in a fun way. Make a water bar with exotic and flavorful additives such as fruit, herbs, juice and bling (like fancy drinking glasses, straws and more). Better holiday nutrition means that when you think about the drinks you rethink water. God gave us a great beverage. Drink it.
- Eat smaller portions. But what a kill joy that is, right?! You know that everybody wants more and more and MORE. So have the to-go containers ready with a marker and bags and encourage people to have seconds for tomorrow and the next day and for even giving to others.
- USE THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW TO POST YOUR HEALTHIER IS BETTER IDEAS.
BEYOND THE MEALS: SNACKS, APPETIZERS, DESERTS AND LEFTOVERS
SNACKS: Holiday nutrition isn’t just about focusing on the big meal. Everyone wants to cheat and snack both before and after the meal and throughout the whole day. Be ready to make snack time a healthier cheat. For starters you can revert to raw. Veggies that are raw are straight up healthy nutrition as only God can package it. Raw whole cranberries dipped in raw honey. It’s different and daring right? Get the kids to do a contest with this “snack”. The winner gets a prize. And – as the kids try it the adults too get a chance to try something healthier. So, maybe everyone is a winner.
Snacks are considered a cheat (and everyone is going to cheat during the holidays) so making your snacks healthier may be one of the best ways to improve holiday nutrition.
APPETIZERS: Here is where you can perhaps make your healthiest impression. While charcuterie boards traditionally have preserved meats (high in sodium) and cheese (high in fat) you can make a healthier charcuterie board that will have everyone talking. The appetizer is an ideal part of the meal to tap into God’s great spice rack and highlight some specific herbs and seasonings that are your favorite.
DESERTS: In contrast to the many healthy ventures you can take with appetizers, you may feel it is particularly challenging to make a healthier desert. But – you can. Some of the best deserts are the simple one’s. So some vanilla ice cream topped with blueberries is an awesome way to do both simple and healthier. The ice cream, unless it is vegan ice cream, is pretty high in fat but the blueberries deliver the healthier benefit. Blueberries, loaded with nutrients, are considered a super food. These delicious antioxidants may help reduce blood pressure and reduce heart disease. If you’re not into berries but prefer chocolate you’ll be happy to know that it too is a super food.
LEFTOVERS: As mentioned above, instead of “stuffing” yourself at a holiday meal, portion your seconds into to-go packages for leftovers for the next few days. Just make sure the food is refrigerated properly and that you eat it before it goes bad.
But – leftover time is the time to add your even healthier sides from home. In addition to the leftovers, include a side salad, some whole grain cracker or bread, some extra fresh raw veggies or fruits. Nobody ever wants to eat JUST leftovers, so adding the healthy extras you have at home is a total holiday nutrition win!
