Most of us love to indulge in festive treats but unfortunately, it’s not great for your waistline or health! You can easily gain at least 1-2 extra pounds over the holidays, just by eating more unhealthy seasonal foods than you normally would.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself over the holiday season. You just have to be a bit more creative with how you go about it. And making healthy versions of your favorite holiday foods is a guilt-free way to enjoy this time of year without worrying about the after-effects.
A few of the holiday food swaps you can make:
- Swap potato for root vegetables such as turnip and swede. It’s an easy way to get more fiber into your diet over the holidays. You can substitute mashed potato for cauliflower mash too.
- Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a protein boost.
- Swap dessert pies for grilled or baked fruit such as apple, apricots or peaches. They’re naturally sweet to satisfy sugar cravings, with a lot less calories and fat.
- Love creamed spinach as a side dish? Get more of the nutritional benefits and less of the fat by including it in a super healthy spinach salad.
- Go for smoked salmon over ham to get more omega 3 fatty acids.
- Swap traditional white bread based stuffing for one that uses sprouted whole grains. It’s easier to digest and less likely to spike your blood sugar.
- Try pesto for a healthier alternative to gravy.
- Swap pasta salad for zucchini noodles and add other ingredients to make a healthier version.