Today I have some healthy holiday food swaps so you can enjoy all the holiday celebrations and continue to move toward your body and health goals. But, before I get into that, I want to remind you that I am currently offering a FREE 30-day training program. You get access to my trainer app, nutrition plan, my Facebook community, and weekly coaching calls. This is worth over $1,000 and it is my gift to you this holiday season. So, click the link and get in your application so you can join me and others in this 30-day training program!
Alright, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year and one of the reasons for that is celebrations with those we love. It is a time of joy, gratitude, and celebration; but also a time that our health goals can be challenged as we find ourselves surrounded by all the yummy things way more often than other times of the year. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean your body and health goals have to take a back seat, nor does it mean you can’t still enjoy what the season has to offer.
Today I have five ways you can make healthy food swaps:
- Swap out the high-sugar treats.
- Reinvent traditional dishes.
- Practice mindful eating.
- Strike a balance between indulgence and nutrition.
- Flax your fitness and your faith.
Over my 30-years of exercise/weightlifting, dieting, and finding my balance in health and nutrition, I’ve been two types during the holiday season. First, is the all or nothing type, where I have thrown my hands up and said, ‘oh, it’s the holidays. I will get back on track in January;’ or, the overly obsessed type where I either avoided gatherings and/or denied myself anything “off plan” for fear of gaining weight going off track. Fortunately, I eventually found a balance between these two and now I have a completely different approach; one I consider healthier from the mindset perspective in particular. Today, I am sharing some of the tactics I use during the holidays to balance staying on track and enjoying those indulgences we only find this time of year.
So, let’s get into these swaps:
- Swap out the high-sugar treats.
I don’t need to tell you there’s an abundance of sweets this time of year. It certainly makes it much harder than other times of the year to avoid these. One great tip is to swap out some of the traditionally high-sugar desserts with healthier alternatives. One example is a fruit salad drizzled with honey. Homemade fruit crisps are another great swap, because you can swap in healthier ingredients like low sugar sweeteners and whole wheat flour or whole oats.
Even desserts like pies and cakes can be, let’s say improved upon in terms of fat and sugar content, when you make them from scratch, because you get to control the ingredients. Without too much google searching you can find lots of great recipe ideas to do this with desserts. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little either! - Reinvent traditional dishes.
My decades-long pursuit of health and fitness has resulted in my not only learning to cook, but also developing lots of great recipes, based on those traditional comfort foods. Almost any dish can be lightened up with some ingredient swaps and willingness to experiment. If you need some help with this, you will definitely want to check out my other episodes and blog posts on this. One is #9 Tips for Making Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Foods and #31 Food Hacks and Swaps that Only Feel Like Cheats.
There are so many ways you can reinvent those traditional holiday recipes and foods to lighten them up, without anyone even noticing. Some of my go-to methods for this included swapping out higher fat proteins for leaner proteins, such as ground beef for ground turkey breast. If you still want the beefy flavor try getting the 93% lean beef and mixing it with the ground turkey breast. For stews and roasts, opt for leaner cuts like pork tenderloin instead of pork shoulder. Swap out regular pasta for multi-grain with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Reduce the amount of fat recipes call for by cutting it in half. Replace milk with broth, or swap half the milk or cream out for broth or pasta water. Add vegetables to recipes to increase the nutritional value. - Practice mindful eating.
It is easy to lose track of how much we overindulge in the midst of all the festivities. We can easily eat 10 cookies instead of that one we told ourselves simply because we aren’t paying attention. So, one key practice is to slow down and enjoy what you’re eating. Be present with whatever you are eating and savor each bite, so you enjoy it as well as have more awareness of your eating. Focus on the healthier options and aim for these first so you aren’t filling up on or going overboard with calorically dense things. - Balance indulgence and nutrition.
So, let’s keep it real. It is the holiday season, so it is the time of year for celebration. There is nothing wrong with indulging at this time of the year if you maintain balance. Go for smaller portions of those holiday favorite comfort dishes and larger portions of protein and vegetables.
As this is also a time of year where alcohol is usually abundant at celebrations, another helpful tip is to minimize alcohol. Alcohol often leads to overindulging in higher calorie foods, and it also has a lot of calories itself. Like balancing indulgence in food, it is key to balance the indulgence with alcohol as well. A few was to do this is, drink some water after that glass of wine or cocktail, take your time enjoying your drink, and set a max limit for yourself. - Flex your fitness and your faith.
Mindset and exercise are key to our overall health all year long, but they really make a difference during the holiday season. Not only are we bombarded by the temptations of all the yummy things, but the holidays can also be hectic and stressful as we have more going on than usual. So, make a plan for staying on your exercise game, whether that means adjusting your current routine or adding some exercise in. Consider things like family walks after dinner or maybe a family basketball or football game. Keep the stress at bay by making sure you make time for daily meditation and honor the reason for the season by practicing daily gratitude.
No matter what, remember the holiday season is about joy, connection, love, and gratitude. With these healthy holiday food swaps and tips you can celebrate without compromising your body and health goals. As always, thank you for stopping e today. Don’t forget to get in on that FREE 30-day training program as well. It will really help with accountability and help you kickstart your health and weight loss journey.