Build a Healthier Holiday Plate

You’ve been working hard at the gym for months and sticking with your healthy eating plan – don’t let the abundance of holiday festivities and feasts throw you for a loop. Holidays are a time for celebration, not anxiety! Take my tips on how to build a healthier holiday plate and enjoy the season without giving up your gains.

I love the holiday season – the decorations, the get togethers, the delicious food! I’ve spent my fair share of celebratory meals feeling guilty about the mashed potatoes. #overit

This year, I’m sticking to these tried and true strategies to enjoy myself, keep it healthy(ish), and enjoy the little indulgences.

6 Tips to Build a Healthier Holiday Plate

Don’t Skip Breakfast

As tempting as it is to skip breakfast to make room for dinner, don’t do it. Stick with your morning routine and eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast within 1-2 hours of waking up.

Eating breakfast ignites your metabolism. It’ll help you stay full and craving-free throughout the morning. Plus, if you’re feeling peckish during prep there’s no telling how many taster-bites you’ll have before dinner is served!

Make Vegetables Your Base

Don’t forget the good habits you’ve picked up along the way! When it comes down to putting food on your plate, start with the vegetables. Yes, perhaps those green beans are more casserole than blanched. And sure, your Brussels sprouts have bacon in them. But they’re still vegetables and they still provide more vitamins, minerals and fiber than dinner rolls.

Oh and reminder! Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean a simple side salad can’t appear amongst the serving bowls!

Don’t Forget About Portion Sizes

Speaking of good habits…keep portion sizes in mind. If your table looks anything like mine during the holidays, there’s probably three carb options instead of one, more butter in the meal than on the butter dish and how does one classify cranberry sauce? Despite the variety, stick as closely to your portion size goals as possible.

• Protein. Whether your roasting a turkey, carving a ham or experimenting with tofurkey this year, serve yourself 1-2, palm-sizes portions of protein in total.
  
• Veggies. I’m usually on board for eating as many veggies as you want but since holiday vegetables don’t usually come unadorned, stick with 1-2, fist-sized portions of veggies at dinner time.
  
• Carbs. Stuffing, potatoes and rolls, oh my! Stay present lady! Stick to your portion sizes and choose a combo of carbs that fits into 1-2 cupped palms.
  
• Fats. Here’s where I suggest leaving a true “portion” of fats off of the plate. Most holiday foods bombard you with rich, decadent flavors all on their own – no need to add more!

Experiment with Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Dishes

Of course, you can absolutely try healthier versions of your favorite dishes! In my house it’s sacrilegious to go to far down the rabbit-food diet hole BUT, I sneak it in where I can.

My mother-in-law makes an incredible raw cranberry relish that is phenomenally unprocessed and full of tang! It’s my new favorite side dish at Thanksgiving and gives you a refreshing bite every now and then.

Green beans don’t need to be smothered in cream of mushroom soup to be delicious – you know that! Try blanching green beans briefly, and then flashing them under the broiler and topping with shallots, almonds, parsley and lemon juice.

Sweet potatoes have a way of turning into dessert-for-dinner on a holiday table. This year, instead of piling on the brown sugar, drowning in butter and covering in marshmallows, try baking your sweet potatoes instead. Top with a slice of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of toasted pecans for crunch.

Use Smaller Plates

You eat with your eyes. If you want to build a healthier holiday plate, start with the plate.

Instead of grabbing a giant plate to fit a spoonful of everything, choose a smaller plate and be selective about what makes the cut. On a smaller plate, the same amount of food looks bigger, which tricks your eyes and brain into feeling full with less food. Forget counting calories and forget tracking macros – set yourself up for success!

P.S. you don’t have to be a calorie counter (ever) to eat healthier <<

Give Yourself Permission to Indulge on One Thing

Of course, it is the holidays! Give yourself permission to indulge but limit yourself to one or two of your absolute favorite, wait-for-it-all-season, isn’t-a-holiday-meal-without-it food.

If that’s the appetizer spread, indulge and then have a set plan for your dinner choices. If you’re a stuffing-aholic, give in and make sure to ENJOY. If that can’t-miss-it food for you is pie, make sure to leave room!

And a Couple of Non-Food Related Tips for a Healthier Holiday

Think beyond the plate when it comes to the holiday season. Here are a couple more tips to keep it healthy this year.

• Exercise. I’m a big fan of my family’s annual Turkey Trot on the morning of Thanksgiving. Not only is it a good excuse to not over-do it the night before, it’s a good way to get your blood pumping early in the morning. Whatever your workout of choice is – go hard! Put that feast to work.
  
• Stay hydrated. Throughout the day, and certainly throughout the evening once the Champagne has popped, don’t forget to drink water. Shoot for 80-100 ounces a day. It’ll keep you feeling full, aid digestion and ward off the dreaded post-holiday-indulgence headache.
  
• Enjoy the atmosphere. Girl, the holidays are about more than feasting. They’re about family, and friends and celebrating love and giving. This year’s festivities may look a little different, but we still have a lot to be thankful for.