Holiday Recipes For Living Well

The holiday season is filled with recipes from family, religious and social traditions and many of us have favorites we make year after year.  In fact, the foods we eat are often what make the holidays special.  Here are a few ideas to consider if you want to try something new or simply make your old favorites more nutritious. 

Cauliflower “Mashed” Potatoes   

Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce

Sugar Free Apple Pie

Simple Ways to Make Holiday Meals More Nutritious
   ~Use whole wheat or whole grain breads and flour in cooking & baking.
   ~Drizzle vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, beans etc)
     with a small amount of olive oil, add slices of fresh garlic and bake in
     oven at 375 for 45-60 minutes.  Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or
     sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese just before serving.
   ~Use non or low fat plain Greek yogurt instead of Sour Cream in
     recipes.
   ~Skip the appetizers and have your guests arrive in time for the meal.
   ~Mash potatoes with the skins on.
   ~Adding garlic, yogurt, horseradish or chives to mashed potatoes
     increases flavor and allows you to reduce butter or other fat.
   ~Have fresh fruit (not juice) available at every meal. 
   ~Substitute brown rice for white rice and whole grain pasta for semolina
     pasta in recipes.  Be sure to adjust spices and cooking time.

Holiday Health and Fitness

This time of year it is easy to feel overwhelmed by health and fitness goals.  In the next six weeks most of us will find ourselves inundated with activities centered around eating and temptations to consume traditional foods and beverages laden with salt, fat and refined sugars.  We may also feel pressured by well-intentioned family and friends to eat and drink more than we need or want to.  And, we will facing it all on less sleep and increasingly fewer energy reserves as the season unfolds.  Added to this is the confusion about what exercise program or holiday weight loss regimen is the best, or will deliver the results you want. Everywhere you look; TV, newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, newsletters etc, so-called “experts” are regaling us with promises and assurances that their product or program is the one to use.  For many people, all this is enough to make them not even try.  Unfortunately, the “I’ll enjoy the holidays and start taking care of myself after New Year’s” approach sounds good, but I don’t know of very many people who have found this successful, much less been healthier and happier for it.

~Just move!  It doesn’t really matter what you do, just find 20 - 40 minutes every day and do something.  Walk, run, bike, use a treadmill or other aerobic exercise machine if you have access to them.  You can dance (at home, at a class, at a concert or ballroom), swim, ice skate, ski, snowshoe, take a yoga or fitness class (if accessible) or do an exercise tape/CD/DVD at home.  You don’t even have to buy one, most public libraries have an excellent selection.  If you are a cable subscriber, check out their programming.  Most cable systems have programs and many have whole channels dedicated to exercise and fitness programs. What you do isn’t as important as doing it.  One caveat;  make sure you listen to your body and don’t over exert or try to do something beyond your ability.  Over-exercising is not the solution to over-eating and it can lead to injuries.
 
~Drink plenty of  plain water.  Not carbonated, not “vitamin enhanced”, not flavored.  Holiday food is loaded with salt, refined sugar, and fat, all of which dehydrate the body and can play havoc with the elimination process.  (as does travel and flying by the way)  An easy way to do this is to have at least one glass of water at every meal, even if you are having another beverage.  If you are hosting a meal, make sure every place is set with a full glass of water. Add a slice or wedge of lemon for a more eloquent presentation.  Having it available increase the likelihood of drinking it. 

~If you have a diagnosed medical condition or your health and happiness depend on certain dietary alterations, follow them.  Your health and life are worth far more important than the momentary and fleeting satisfaction of consuming something because it “tastes good”, “everyone else is eating it”, someone pressured you to eat it, or you think you can get away with it “just this one time”.