Healthy Holiday Foods

Start with a salad of fresh lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes. Do not use fatty salad dressings or select a dressing with vinegar and vegetable oil. Any dish made with whole grains (e.g. wheat rolls & brown rice) and wheat fiber (e.g. quinoa and bulga). Seafood including shrimp, lobster and fish are a good choice for protein. Choose steamed seafood instead of fried fish. Skip the gravy on those mashed potatoes. Choose a variety of vegetables and fresh fruits from the holiday banquet table instead of pies, puddings and cakes. Your sweet tooth can be satisfied by fresh fruits like apples, grapes, blueberries and oranges.  Pre-banquet hors d’oeuvres of fresh olives, cheese and whole wheat crackers can help you feel fuller so that you don’t over-indulge at the table. Hard cheese provides calcium for your bones and whole grain crackers provide protein and fiber.

Cranberry sauce made from fresh cranberries and little or no sugar provide all the benefits of fresh fruit and urinary tract health without the added calories of the sugar. Nuts, dates and raisins are delicious and loaded with vitamins, minerals and healthy fats your body needs. Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and potassium. A tasty, low-calorie alternative to traditional holiday pumpkin pie, which is loaded with sugar, is a low-sugar recipe that uses artificial sweeteners or honey to sweeten the pumpkin. Yams contain a number of beneficial nutrients including Vitamin C, potassium and carotenoids. Brown sugar is more flavorful and less fattening than processed white sugar. Substitute brown sugar to sweeten dishes, such as baked yams, when possible.