Fruitcake counts as fruit, right?
Fa la la la la… As I write this, I’m rockin’ the holiday tunes. My coworkers might be glad that I’m wearing my headphones — it’s one of the sacrifices I have to make, since we work in cubicles and I appear to be the only person around here who starts listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. Or, actually the day of Halloween. I passed the time between trick-or-treaters browsing iTunes and Amazon, picking out music for a playlist that will guide me through the season.
I love Christmas. Love it. Loooooove it. Sort of the way I love fall. Come to think of it, I may love fall in part because it means I’m that much closer to Christmas.
Pumpkin Soup
Which brings me to a challenge that many of us face this time of year: maintaining some semblance of a balanced, healthy diet in the season of diabolically delicious holiday fare such as turkey, pumpkin pie, and every cookie imaginable.
“Healthy holiday eating” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron, according to Jenny Anderson, Personal Health Coach and Registered Dietitian for the OSU Health Plan. For those of you who missed her Your Plan For Health webinar on the subject, she was kind enough to pass along the slides from her presentation and some tasty recipes.
Brussels Sprouts
The main message was that some small changes in ingredients can make traditional dishes healthier. For example, you can use lowfat milk instead of heavy cream, and whole grain breads in stuffing. In past presentations, she’s made the point that spiking traditional foods with extra vegetables is a good way to save calories and boost nutrients, and she made that same point again for holiday foods.
Small modifications in behavior have a big payoff, too. Pay attention to how full you feel, she said. When sitting around a holiday table or watching holiday TV, it’s easy to eat to the point of being truly stuffed. Bypass that “I overdid it” feeling by quitting when you start to feel full.
Other tips: get plenty of rest, and find fun things to do that involve physical activity.
Here are Anderson’s healthy holiday recipes. (These are Microsoft Word documents.) Some of them will definitely be part of the Gorder holiday meals.
- Braised Brussels Sprouts in Maple Mustard Glaze
- Pomegranate Beets with Oranges
- Zesty Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Pie Hummus
- Vegetable Gratin
- Maple Pecan Tart
- Cornbread Stuffing
She also offered a list of healthy substitutes for some common holiday ingredients.
BONUS: Your Plan For Health partner WebMD offers tips on holiday feasting without the guilt.
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I don’t think I realized that you love Christmas so much. How can that be? I like Christmas music better than Christmas itself… but enough about me!
I started doing Brussels sprouts a few years ago on Thanksgiving, just roasted with oil and chopped walnuts. So good! I might have to try pumpkin soup, too. Thanks for the recipes!
Hi, Emily. You are my best commenter!
Shall I take the headphones off? Just kidding.
Brussels sprouts are all kinds of awesome. I like to brown them in oil and garlic.