As I attended my first Christmas party last night, I thought I should get on the Christmas bandwagon and share some tips for eating during the holidays.
When it comes to all of those Christmas parties, it’s best to arrive with a satisfied, instead of a starving tummy. Don’t skip dinner or other meals throughout the day, so you can justify bingeing on appys and desserts later. I think we all know that moderation is not an option when you arrive starving. Anything & everything in sight will be consumed as quickly as possible! And the dinner you skipped was likely more nutritious than the party alternatives.
Party appetizers often consist of greasy, cheesy, meaty morsels. Choose your favorites and leave the rest. If you see veggies or fruit, munch on these to fill your tummy and get nutrients at the same time. Often chips & veggies taste good enough without the dips. And watch the alcohol – the calories really add up, and our body does not digest fat when the liver is already busy processing alcohol. Plus, add in the cranberry juice, pop or eggnog (gasp!) and you have a meals worth of calories in a glass. Try soda water as a mix instead.
Christmas baking is a tradition in many households. And I certainly don’t want to take your favorites away from you (it’s only once a year!). When baking desserts, you can use non-hydrogenated margarine instead of butter, to avoid lots of saturated fat. I do buy butter once a year though, for shortbread cookies – just not the same without it! You can even make some cookies with whole wheat flour (adds fibre and still tasty, I swear!). Here is a recipe for whole wheat sugar cookies: http://www.foodreference.com/html/whole-wheat.html Of course there’s always the option of gifting gift certificates, candles, soaps and lotions instead of edibles.
Given these tips, also remember that there are 21 meals in a week (plus snacks) and 52 weeks in the year. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your food is “healthy” food that falls within a food group on Canada’s Food Guide and the other 20% can be the “extras” – chips, cookies, cakes, chocolate, alcohol, etc. That way you never feel deprived but still have an overall balanced diet. If you have a few meals in the week, or a few weeks of the year that are not optimal, you have many others to “redeem” yourself!
Happy Holiday preparations to all!
