Healthy Holiday Alternative Food Swaps
Turkey, stuffing, gravy, pecan pie, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, warm buns with melted butter …….
Ok I need to stop! Starting to salivate over here.
Well, it’s that time of year again. The holiday season is amongst us. Ahh, isn’t such a wonderful time of year? The time we spend with friends and family. The time when the diet starts to slide, the gym is completely abandoned, our waist starts to grow, adding another notch in our belt. Clothes become tighter, our gym bag and running shoes collect dust, the carb combs are a consistent feeling every night, ………Sounds about right, right? …..
HOLD UP!!!
Let’s prevent this from happening NOW!!!
What can you do to save your belt line, feel great in your holiday dress and have it stay that way? It’s all about a little give and take with the holiday eats and celebrations. We aren’t saying not to indulge or enjoy them but to make better choices so that when January rolls around you won’t be left feeling guilty with an extra 15lbs. Instead you can stay ahead of the game and be in a far better position to tackle the new year than the majority of people.
Remember, the holidays are about the people. If you can shift your focus to that mindset and spend time creating new memories and a little less on the food, you might find it easier to pass on the second and third servings.
Let’s play the food swapping game!!
When it comes to food/recipe swapping, anything homemade will typically be healthier for you for a few reasons. One, because you can avoid additives and preservatives and two, can control what goes in it or on it.
Another tip is to take your favorite recipes and find healthier versions of them. The power of Google is a great thing. Just be sure to investigate the recipe as sometimes what people claim as “healthy” really isn’t. It can be as simple as swapping out oil for 0% greek yogurt in a recipe or instead of frying, baking it. If you are a guest at someone's house choose either the starch carb or the fat. Pick one or the other. Simple choices like this do go along way. Save the “wiggle room” for your most favorite holiday food and enjoy it. Make compromises on everything else.
Here is a list of food swaps that you can either make or choose when you are out for the holidays
Here are a few websites tohelp guide in the right direction: