Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Nutrition Goals on Track

Authored by Karen Casey, MS, RDN

Navigating the holiday season in a healthy way can be very challenging. Food is the center of many holiday events, parties and family gatherings. Navigating holiday food while maintaining healthy blood glucose levels and managing diabetes is an extra challenge. To make your event enjoyable but more manageable, here are some tips and tricks to keep your nutrition goals on track.

Make a Plan: Before you step into that holiday party or family gathering, develop a plan for what you will eat. It is OK to inform the host that you have special dietary needs and ask for the menu. If your event is at a restaurant, research the menu online. Look for whole food ingredients without added sauces or dressing (chicken breast, fresh veggies, whole grain starches).

Bites in Place of a Feast: It is OK to attend an event and eat small portions and a balanced plate. Taste your food, sample bites of different dishes, and enjoy the flavors and the people you are spending time with. Make the purpose of the holidays the central thing you are celebrating instead of the food.

Bring a Dish that You Can Eat: Controlling what goes into the food you prepare is why home cooked food is better than pre-packaged or processed food. When you are going out for a social event, bring a healthy fruit or vegetable-based dish to share. This single step can boost your confidence going into an unknown food environment.

Avoid Dessert: If you know that sugar is a weakness, avoid the desserts all together. Sometimes the first bit can lead to a ripple effect of eating. Feel confident about your choices to maintain healthy habits.

Share your Goals: Make the time you spend with your friends and family more meaningful by sharing your health goals. Explain why you want to improve your nutrition and share your successes. Doing this makes you a change agent and a leader, and you might be surprised how your own choices can help other people who may be struggling to meet their own goals.
 

Healthy Swaps

• Use whole grain bread in place of white bread when making stuffing
• Prioritize vegetables – plan one or two vegetable-based dishes
• Embrace foods that are in season in the fall: winter squash, pears, collared greens, carrots, beets and mushrooms
• Don’t eat the skin on meat (turkey, chicken) and always cut off visible fat from beef and pork
• Reach for fruit-based desserts, and skip the side of ice cream
• Swap out soda for seltzer water and lime
• Make colorful garnishes for mocktails using sliced fruit frozen into ice cube trays
• Fill up on fresh veggies from the appetizer tray
• Use whole grain or seed crackers in place of lower nutrient crackers and chips

Holiday Recipes

1. Hasselback Butternut Squash: This recipe makes squash the centerpiece of the meal. It is elegant, delicious and good for you. The toppings can be change to suit your favorite flavors – sweet flavor using cinnamon, cardamon and cloves or savory flavor using lime, cilantro, cumin and garlic.  Either way it is a winner.
2. Cinnamon Bake Pears: This recipe flavors the pears with cinnamon and vanilla, and is no sugar added. Top the pears with sugar-free whipped cream.

Consult an Expert

You don't have to navigate this alone. Karen Casey, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist offering clinics at St. Vincent Health. Call 719-486-0230 to schedule an appointment.