Ward off the Holiday Weight Gain

It is officially the week of Thanksgiving, which means holiday gatherings are already in full swing. Between all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with co-workers, families and friends, we now celebrate the holidays from mid-November thru the beginning of January. This is a fun time of the year and holidays are definitely meant to be celebrated, but all of the back-to-back celebrations can make it a little tricky to find balance when there is rich and delicious food waiting for you at every holiday party. A common concern during this time of year is how to ward off that holiday weight gain. The good news is your body can bounce back rather quickly after one day of indulging. However, when one day of celebrating turns into days and days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, all of those extra calories can really add up. Here are a few tips to help you balance out the holiday fun and maintain your healthy lifestyle:

1. Anticipate the event, but focus on the non-eating aspects you enjoy. Too often we get wrapped up in all the food and forget to focus on socializing with those around us. When you look back at past holidays, what do your favorite memories consist of? Is it the people or the food? Interacting with those around you can help you keep your mind off of the piles of food that surround you.

2. Be active on the days of your celebrations and also throughout the holiday season. Start your day with a workout. Get up and go for walk, or jog or bike ride or head to the gym before you head out to the celebration. After the meal, try to get the whole group involved in a game of flag football, a group walk, a scavenger hunt around town or find a nearby ice skating rink. These activities can all help you burn off some of the extra calories you will be consuming.

3. Eat a balanced breakfast and/or a healthy snack before you head out to the main event. If the celebration isn’t until the evening hours, make sure you eat something for lunch too. Do not fast all day to save up for the big meal later. That will only make you more prone to overeating later.

4. Bring a healthy appetizer or dish to the event. This ensures that there will be something healthy for you to eat. A veggie tray is always a good option.

5. Socialize in a different room than where all of the food is located. If you sit around all of the food you will only be tempted to keep grazing on all of the appetizers before the meal. Grab a small plate of appetizers and your favorite drink and go hang out in a room away from all of the food.

6. Follow the plate method. If this is a new concept for you, here’s a visual of what this entails:

The plate method is a way to enjoy a variety of foods and helps keep your portions in check. A healthy plate includes selections from all of the food groups. If you follow the above plate method you will get fruit, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Indulge in your favorites but be mindful of portions. It should also be noted that the plate method is based on a 9-inch plate. Side note: Thanksgiving is the only day where green bean casserole gets to be counted as a vegetable :)

7. A lot of our favorite holiday recipes include ingredients such as butter, sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise. These ingredients are all very high in fat, which also makes them high in calories. Did you know that Greek yogurt can be a healthy substitution for these high-fat, high-calorie items? Here are some helpful substitutions:

• 1 cup butter = ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt + ½ cup butter
• 1 cup of oil = ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup of sour cream = 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup of mayonnaise = 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup cream cheese = 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup buttermilk = 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt + ¼ cup buttermilk

Remember, above all else, enjoy the holiday season with those you love. I hope these tips help you conquer these next six weeks of celebrating effortlessly. And when it’s all over, get back to your normal eating and exercise habits as soon as possible. As always, please stop by the dietitian office if you have any questions or need some ideas for healthy appetizers! Happy Holidays! 

-Dietitian Amanda

Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This broccoli cheddar soup is full of flavor, packed with protein and lighter on saturated fat grams compared to a traditional broccoli cheddar soup recipe. It tastes great on a cold, crisp November fall day...Or on a sunny and 65°F fall day (more typical of this year's Iowa fall weather)!

Makes 4.5 servings (about 7 cups)

Total time: 40 minutes

All you need:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (12 oz or about 4 cups) bag frozen chopped broccoli 

1-1/2 cups unsweetened original almond milk

1 cup Fage fat free plain Greek yogurt

3 cups freshly grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

All you do:

In a large saucepan, sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook until onion is soft, about 7 minutes. 

Whisk in flour and black pepper, sauté 30 seconds. Gradually stir in broth and broccoli. Add lid to saucepan and bring soup to boil. Cook until broccoli is tender. Remove lid and blend mixture with handheld blender until mixture reaches desired consistency. Stir in almond milk and yogurt. Add cheese one cup at a time, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Simmer soup for an additional 5 to 10 minutes with lid on until evenly heated through. 

Top with additional shredded cheese, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts per serving (1 ½ cups): 375 calories, 21g fat, 7.5g saturated fat, 974mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate; 3g fiber, 28g protein.

Featured Kitchen Gadget: Immersion Blender

In this recipe, I used an immersion blender to blend the vegetables.  An immersion blender, also known as a handheld blender, is used to blend ingredients or purée foods in the container in which they are prepared.  It can be a useful tool for soups and sauces and is typically less messy than using a traditional blender or food processor.  The blended vegetables in the broccoli cheddar soup attributed to its creamy texture and consistency.  

As always, be sure to reach out to your West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians for all your health and wellness questions!

Enjoy!

-Dietitian Natalie 

Yogurt's Hidden Gem–Probiotics

Some of you may have seen this article in the Des Moines Register last week, but in case you missed it, here it is:

The human digestive system is naturally inhabited by billions of bacteria that are collectively called the microbiome. Most of the bacteria resides in the lining of the human gut, which contains about three pounds of bacteria. The balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria is vital for immune health, and can be thrown out of balance by a wide range of circumstances. These include antibiotic use, poor diet, excess alcohol intake, stress and disease. In circumstances like these, beneficial bacteria can decrease in number, allowing harmful competitors to thrive. Beneficial bacteria aid in absorption of nutrients, fight against infections and help with digestion. Poor gut balance can cause digestive problems including gas, diarrhea and constipation. Emerging research is showing healthy individuals tend to have a more diverse makeup of bacteria compared to people with certain diseases. Research is being done studying the link between gut bacteria and almost every disease in the body. While the evidence is still forming, there appears to be a link between certain cancers, obesity, inflammatory and intestinal diseases and bacteria makeup of the gut.

A diet containing probiotics and a wide variety of plant foods that are low in sugar and saturated fat may help create a more diverse microbiome. Dannon® Oikos® Triple Zero yogurt is the dietitian pick for November, and is a great source of beneficial probiotics, plus it contains prebiotics as well. Prebiotics act as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Chicory root is the prebiotic source in Oikos® Triple Zero yogurt, and is naturally sweet, but provides no calories. The main sweetener in the yogurt is stevia, a natural plant-based sweetener. Other sources of prebiotics include fibrous plant foods, especially leeks, artichokes, asparagus, bananas, legumes and oatmeal. 

There are many other probiotic products on the market with claims for potential health benefits, many of which only have preliminary research to support at this time. The following foods contain probiotics.

• Yogurt
• Kefir (fermented dairy product, consistency of liquid yogurt)
• Sauerkraut
• Fermented foods, such as mirin and tempeh
• Look for “live and active cultures” logo
• World Health Organization states that probiotics must remain alive for duration of shelf life and be in amounts high enough for beneficial effect for product to claim probiotic effect

Adding Oikos® Triple Zero yogurt to your daily diet is a delicious way to increase your probiotic intake. It comes in many delicious flavors including Banana Crème, Chocolate, Coconut Crème, Coffee, Strawberry, Salted Caramel and more. In addition, each single serving size container boasts 15 grams of filling protein, making this a great addition to your breakfast or afternoon snack.

If you have questions regarding probiotics, stop by the dietitian office and I’d be happy to answer your questions!

-Dietitian Amanda