Healthy and Happy Holidays

As the holidays approach, staying active and eating healthy can be a challenge. Follow these ideas and tips from your West Lakes Dietitians to enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season!

Healthy Holiday Party Tips
Plan ahead. Maintaining a regular eating schedule and not skipping meals will prevent overeating during the holiday season. If you are planning to attend a holiday gathering, try eating a healthy snack before to avoid overeating! Here are some of our favorite high-protein snacks to keep you full: 

For other snack ideas check out our blog on Smart Snacking.

Practice portion control. Most people tend to eat bigger portions when it comes to their favorite holiday meals. The easiest way to practice portion control is to use a smaller plate (8-10 inches) so it looks full and you won’t feel like you are depriving yourself. A healthy plate has food from all of the different food groups. Here is what a dietitian-approved plate looks like!

Slow down. Before going for seconds, take the time to sit and savor your holiday meal. It takes about 20 minutes after food enters our mouths before the brain starts to perceive we’ve eaten and are getting full. Listen to your body and stop eating when you’re full!

Make smart dessert decisions. The best way to save calories this holiday season is by controlling dessert intake. Skipping dessert would save you the most calories but that’s not really realistic. Let’s face it, there is more than likely going to be more than one dessert option available at your holiday gatherings, possibly four or more. If you would choose to have one of each, you’re probably looking at a minimum of 1,000 extra calories to your holiday meal; minimum! Take a look at the dessert table and identify which dessert you just can’t life without; pick one! If you can’t just pick one, try a half of serving of two of them. You can also try these dietitian-approved desserts that are lower in calories and fat than your traditional holiday desserts. 

Stay active. The holiday season can be stressful for some. Instead of relieving stress by indulging in holiday treats, try being more physically active! Physical activity helps boost energy levels so you can be more productive during the holidays. It also helps the body relax, releases emotional tension, promotes better sleep and creates feelings of psychological well-being. Here are some great gift ideas to promote being active this holiday season!

Healthy(er) Baking

Holiday baking is a must this time of year, however, many of those holiday favorites are full of added sugars and trans fats, so they should be consumed in moderation. Luckily, there are many substitutions that can be made in baked goods to cut down on the calorie, sugar and fat content while still tasting delicious. Here is a healthy substitution chart to use for this year’s holiday baking!

Instead of this…	Use this!
Butter, margarine, shortening	Unsweetened apple sauce or prune puree
Cream	Fat-free half and half or evaporated skim milk
Full fat cream cheese	Fat-free cream cheese, low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth or Greek yogurt
Eggs	Two egg whites or ¼ c. egg substitute per 1 whole egg
All-purpose flour	Whole-wheat flour for half of called for flour
Evaporated milk	Evaporated skim milk
Whole milk	Reduced-fat or fat-free milk
Sugar	Use half the sugar called for and add vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon to add sweetness; use an artificial, no or low calorie sweetener; or mashed ripened banana
Syrup	Pureed fruit such as applesauce or low-calorie, sugar-free syrup
Sour cream	Low-fat Greek yogurt
Baking chocolate (1 oz.)	3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 T. polyunsaturated oil

Pumpkin Bread

All you need:

2 mashed ripe bananas

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

¼ c. coconut (melt) or vegetable oil

1 egg + 2 egg whites

½ c. whole wheat flour

½ c. all-purpose flour

1 c. oat flour or 1 c. old fashioned oats, blended

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional

¼ c. chocolate chips

¼ c. walnuts or pecans

Can substitute ½ cup protein powder for ½ a cup of the oat flour

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all wet ingredients together (mashed banana, pumpkin, oil, eggs and egg whites, and vanilla extract) in a large bowl.

3. Mix all dry ingredients together (all flours, baking powder, cinnamon) in a separate bowl.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients together into the wet ingredients, stirring thoroughly.

5. Spray bread loaf pan with non-stick spray.

6. Pour batter into loaf pan.

7. Bake about 45 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Quick Baked Pears (serves 4) 

All you need:

2 large Bosc pears

2 tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup low-fat granola

¼ cup apple juice

½ cup vanilla halo top

All you do:

1. Peal pears, cut in half lengthwise. Use a melon baller to remove core and seeds, creating a hollow.

2. Place pear halves, with cut sides up, in a glass pie plate, Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over pears.

3. Combine cranberries and granola; mound into hollows of the pear halves. Pour the apple juice in and around pear halves. Cover dish loosely with wax paper.

4. Cook in microwave on HIGH 6-8 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. Let stand in the dish 5 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears to serving plates.

5. Drizzle juices from pie plate over pears and serve with halo top ice cream.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies (makes 16 blondies) 

All you need:

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup + 2 T dark chocolate chips

1 egg

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 8x8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth.

3. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.

4. Spread batter evenly in pan then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top.

5. Bake for 20-25 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Holidays from your West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians!