For the next month, we will all be invited to holiday dinners with tempting traditional food. The food may even be cleverly disguised to look healthier than it actually may be. Before you lift your fork this holiday season, be mindful about which holiday dishes are the least healthy and what you can load up on instead.
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Sweet potato casserole. It’s a vegetable side dish, right? Not so fast. The sweet potato casserole has almost no similarities with the healthy lunch you may take to work on a regular basis. Loaded with brown sugar, butter, and maybe even marshmallows you’ll have to count this as a desert if you plan to indulge. If you want to enjoy the sweet potato taste without adding hundreds of extra calories, volunteer to bring the roasted sweet potatoes, spiced with cinnamon or nutmeg instead of sugar. Your friends will never know the difference and you will have spared everyone an unnecessary load of calories and processed sugar.
Stuffing. Is there anything particularly healthy about stuffing? The answer is no, even if you add an extra cup of celery. One half cup of stuffing will add 350 calories to your day and 6 grams of fat. Forgo the stuffing this year and opt for mashed potatoes made with skim milk and cut with cauliflower you’ll save hundreds of calories over the stuffing.
Cranberry sauce. Like sweet potatoes, just because you’re familiar with the name as a fruit or vegetable does not mean it’s a healthy holiday side dish. Cranberry sauce is basically red sugar in a bowl and in even just one-fourth of a cup, you’ll find 110 calories and 22 grams of sugar. If you can’t live without cranberry sauce once each year, use a teaspoon and be mindful of your serving size. Instead of cranberry sauce, swap a small piece of pumpkin pie. While not a healthy food, per se, it is the least dangerously unhealthy dessert you’re likely to find on the holiday table this year. Pumpkin pie, unlike many other desserts is high in fiber and beta carotene, giving you some nutritional content for the calories.
Anything called a “casserole”. Whether it’s green bean casserole or sweet potato casserole do not confuse a vegetable casserole with a health food. Casserole is a code name for butter and fat. Instead of filling your plate with casseroles that sound healthy, feel free to load up on turkey this year. Turkey is a lean protein that’s also high in iron, zinc and potassium. If you have any sway over the turkeys preparation, be sure to avoid frying and opt for natural spices, lemon, or apples instead.
The holidays don’t have to be a time of unwanted weight gain and mindless binges. Be smart about your food choices, aware of your portion sizes and keep the focus on your friends and family.
