Samantha Hauswirth and Melissa Wolynec Dietetic Interns Surviving Holiday Eating

Average Holiday Weight Gain Average person gains 1-2 pounds between Halloween and New Years. Typically, this weight is not lost after the holiday season. Can result in a pound weight gain over a 10-year period. Everything you put in your mouth counts as calories! Including “tastes”!

Average Caloric Intake of Holiday Foods Food ItemCaloriesFat Mashed Potatoes and gravy Sweet potatoes – ½ Cup Scalloped Potatoes – ½ C Stuffing – ½ C Spinach Soufflé – ½ C Egg Nog – 1 cup Apple Cider Cookies – 1 cookie Ham – 6 oz Dinner Roll Butter Cranberry Sauce – ½ C g 16 g 12 g 15 g 37 g 19 g 0 g 4 g 12 g 3 g 6 g 0.3 g Christmas dinner can contain up to 3500 calories – that’s one pound! To eat all this, you would need to walk 20.5 miles to burn it all off!

Tips for Eating at Holiday Parties Don’t go to a party hungry! Eat a small meal before you go. Eat healthy throughout the day. Stay away from the buffet. Stick to veggie and fruit options. Sample in moderation! Bring a low calorie dish and choose this first. Dance the night away!

Alcohol Overconsumption of alcohol leads to undesirable food choices. Alcohol has a lot of empty calories. Alternate between alcohol and water.

Drink This….Not That Choose ThisStay Away From This Wine 5 oz. 100 caloriesSpiked Egg Nog 8 oz 391 calories Light Beer 12 oz 148 caloriesMargarita 9 oz 408 calories Champagne 4 oz 96 caloriesMudslide 12 oz 820 calories Rum 1 oz 65 caloriesWhite Russian 355 calories Tips for lowering the caloric content of drinks: Make drinks with real fruit instead of fruit juice Choose seltzer or diet tonic water instead of soda Use diet soda instead of regular Use 1% or skim milk instead of cream or half and half Use egg whites instead of yolks for egg nog Limit alcohol to 1 drink/day for women and 2 drink/day for men

Trimming the Fat Serve lean cuts of meat Pork or beef tenderloin Trim fat off Ham Remove skin off turkey, choose white meat Steam, braise or roast vegetables Glaze with small amount of butter Glaze with pineapple and/or orange juice with cornstarch Make mashed potatoes with chicken broth, skim milk and reduced fat sour cream Use light cream cheese for cheesecake

Healthy Holiday Substitutions Use unsweetened applesauce in cake and pie recipes as a healthier alternative to butter, margarine, or oil. In ice cream desserts, use low-fat frozen yogurt. Save the fat by using cocoa powder instead of chocolate. Substitute three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate in baked goods such as cakes or cookies. Use nonfat yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.

More Substitutions Use egg whites instead of yolks. Two egg whites can be substituted for each whole egg in many baked recipes. Since much of the fat in cake comes from the frosting, try topping cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar. Reduce the amount of chocolate chips or nuts in a recipe by one-fourth. No one will even notice!

More Healthy Ideas Use flavored vinegars or lemon juice to enhance the flavor of a salad without adding fat. Choose baked over fried every time. Nuts are a heart-healthy snack choice. Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Pistachios Don’t bury good foods under fat and sugar. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and don’t need extra sugar. Bake them, slice and sprinkle with cinnamon instead. Serve gravies and other sauces on the side so guests can choose how much they would like. When you’re making gravy, skim off the fat with a gravy-separating cup or let the drippings cool in the refrigerator first and remove the hardened fat before making the gravy.

Staying Active Through the Holidays Take a family walk after a large meal. Schedule exercise into your daily schedule. When Christmas shopping: Use stairs instead of escalator or elevator Park far away and walk Get off the bus a stop ahead and walk At home workout videos/On Demand. Clean your house.

Holiday Hints There will be leftovers! No need to gorge at the dinner table. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly Plan ahead Visually map out your plate ahead of time with healthy options Make half of your plate green Enjoy your holiday favorites, within moderation Get the entire family involved in your healthy plan