Creating a Healthy Holiday Dinner

By Brandi Swieter

Holiday meals are often filled with delicious foods that don’t get served regularly in a household. While it may seem fine to indulge in these dishes since they only come around once a year, it really is best to continue a healthy eating plan even during the holidays. It’s possible to create a healthy Christmas dinner that still incorporates these foods without going overboard on calories.

Limit the Salt

Many dishes get packed with salt, including things like mashed potatoes, turkey, and homemade stuffing. Salt is incredibly bad for the body, so it should be avoided as much as possible. Limit the salt at Christmas and just allow each person to sprinkle on the desired amount instead of adding it into all the food.

Use Low-Fat Milk

Milk is a common ingredient for several holiday dishes. Mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, for example, both use it. Instead of using Vitamin D milk that contains plenty of fat, a low-fat milk option would be best. Stock up to be sure all dishes can incorporate this lower calorie option instead of the other.

Choose Heart-Healthy Butter

Butter can be bad for the body, particularly the heart. It contains far too much fat that isn’t needed. Rather than slathering regular butter onto rolls and in the potatoes, a better option is to choose a heart-healthy butter from the start. Look for labels like “heart right,” “light,” and “supports healthy cholesterol levels,” to know the right kind is getting chosen.

Stick to a Couple Desserts

Cookies, pies, cupcakes, almond banquet, and more desserts often fill the holiday table. While these may be delicious to eat, they are all bad for the body. Rather than overloading the menu with desserts to eat after a full-course meal, it’s best to stick to just a couple of dessert options instead. That way, people aren’t overeating on snacks after they’ve already consumed a full dinner. Pies are one of the best options because many contain fruit that are beneficial to the body.

Healthy eating is more than just sticking to veggies and fruits. There are ways to implement more healthy menu items even at Christmas time so everyone can enjoy the foods they like in a better way. Making a few substitutes is a good place to start.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Wyckoff, N.J.


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