Season's eatings
Healthy twists on holiday dishes
What is December about? For many of us: candle lighting, religious services, and gift giving. Also: plates and parties loaded with sweet treats and indulgences. And while holiday celebrating should involve your favourite festive dishes, you may find yourself straying from your usual healthy habits.
“You enjoy the holidays so much more if you come out them having been mindful,” says Cassandra Reid, a Registered Dietitian in Toronto, Ontario. Although the average adult gains only about one kilogram (two pounds) a year between November and January, most of us don’t lose that weight and it accumulates over time, reports the New England Journal of Medicine (2000). Here’s how to enjoy your holiday favourites without the hit to your health.
Our experts
- Nicole Fetterly, RD, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Cassandra Reid, RD, Registered Dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Canada in Toronto, Ontario
Festive dinner
Traditional
- 125 g (½ cup) mashed potatoes
- 250 ml (8 oz.) eggnog
- 1 slice pecan pie
- 115 g (4 oz.) roast beef or ham
- 125 g (½ cup) stuffing
- 125 g (½ cup) green bean casserole
Estimated nutrition facts
- Calories 1,400–1,550
- Fat 80–95 g
- Carbs 125 g (50 g from refined sugars)
- Sodium 1,745 mg
Tweaked
- 250 ml (1 cup) salad
- 125 g (½ cup) roasted veggies
- 115 g (4 oz.) baked fish
- 250 ml (8 oz.) homemade eggnog
- 175 ml (¾ cup) apple crisp
- 115 g (4 oz.) baked fish
- 125 g (½ cup) roasted veggies
Estimated nutrition facts
- Calories 650
- Fat 35–45 g
- Carbs 45–60 g (little or none from refined sugars)
- Sodium 500–750mg
Nutritious selections at buffets
If you’re going to a party, think about bringing along a healthy dish. You’d be surprised how many options there are and how great they taste.
- Fresh fruit
- Cheese, up to 56 g (2 oz) (1 serving of cheese = size of four dice)
- Mixed nuts (handful)
- Fresh veggies
- Hummus
- Shrimp cocktail
Appetizers & snacks
Go light on these
- Pigs in a blanket
- Chicken wings
- Fried anything
Here’s why
“Chicken wings are a high fat food because usually the skin of the chicken is left on. They can also be quite high in sodium because of the barbeque sauces and hot sauces used.” —N.F.
Try these instead
- Healthy spinach artichoke dip
- Light-breaded, baked, herbed veggies, e.g., jalapeno & broccoli
- Hummus & veggies
Here’s how
“By choosing a healthy vegetable dip [or side], you’ll be able to have more food. From a nutritional standpoint, you will get more vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants.” —C.R
Side dishes
Plan ahead, eat mindfully, and limit your indulgences to the foods you really enjoy.
Go light on these
- Dinner rolls
- Stuffing
- Mashed white potatoes
- Casseroles made with canned soups, refined crackers, or butter/margarine, or high sodium
Here’s why
High saturated fat and sodium, low nutrition.
Try these instead
- Spinach pomegranate salad
- Mashed cauliflower or sweet potatoes
- Cauliflower latkes
- Roasted acorn squash
- Sweet potato tzimmes
- Grilled shrimp
Here’s why
“Spinach and leafy greens are something we should be consuming everyday whether they are raw or cooked. The holidays are no exception. Pomegranate is a good source of Vitamin C, which is actually nice to pair with iron-containing plant foods like spinach because the Vitamin C helps you to absorb the iron.” —N.F.
Beverages
Enjoy a smaller serving of your favourite holiday beverages and consider it dessert.
Go light on these
- Store-bought eggnog
- Hot chocolate
- Sodas (regular and diet)
- Special holiday drinks at coffee shops
Here’s why
“It’s okay to choose beverages like hot chocolate or eggnog once in a while. They can actually make a great snack from time to time. These beverages tend to be heavy, however, so consuming them with a meal can leave you feeling overfull, uncomfortable, and sluggish.” —Lindzie O’Reilly, RD
Try these instead
- Homemade eggnog
- Coffee or tea with milk and/or raw honey
- Fruit-flavoured seltzer water with fresh lemon/lime
- Pomegranate juice with ginger ale and lime
Here’s how
“Try to have water between each drink. It’s going to help your hydration.” —C.R.
Desserts
Don’t forbid yourself. “Instead, when presented with many dessert options, give thought to which one you would enjoy the most, choose that, and savour it,” says Lindzie O’Reilly, a Registered Dietitian at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
Go light on these
Traditional holiday baked goods made with lots of white sugar and refined flour
Here’s why
“Baked goods made with white sugar and flour, unless they have a lot of hidden veggies, which is rare, are devoid of nutrition. [They] spike your blood sugar and related hormones like insulin. They [also] make one feel quite sluggish.” —N.F.
Try these instead
- Cookie with a glass of milk for calcium and protein
- Dark chocolate-covered strawberries
- Simple apple crisp
- Avocado mousse (with cocoa powder & agave nectar)
Here’s why
“Sugar in fruit is not the same as table sugar. There is fibre and water, and it is absorbed much more quickly by your body than the white sugar from baked goods.” —C.R.
Meal
Self-monitoring helps people feel good about their food choices, research shows. Record your food intake. Try one of the many free apps and websites, such as MyFitnessPal.
Go light on these
- Red meats
- Pork
- Stews
cooked in fat
Try these instead
- Fish or other seafood
- Chicken or turkey
- Vegetarian options, e.g., butternut squash & chickpea stew
Students share their strategies
“Better-quality food fills you right up and helps you have energy during the day.”
—Tracey C., a first-year student at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s
“I usually choose healthier food and drink substitutions, and I keep in mind that I should probably work out soon.”
—Bridgette N., a second-year student at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario
“I try not to go overboard with it. I eat and drink what I want but within reason. For example, I won’t go back for seconds and I keep going to the gym.”
— Erica P., a first-year student at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s
