Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Are you ready for the holidays? I know this week we are supposed to talk about lunch, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought it would be a better idea to discuss some holiday survival tips.
Did you know that the average American gains over 5 pounds during the holidays? What is even more amazing is that it takes consuming 3500 more calories to gain 1 pound of weight. That means the average American consumes over 17,500 calories more during the holidays than throughout the rest of the year. This is most likely due to holiday foods being higher in fat and sugar. When you stop and think about it, we don’t just consume these higher calorie foods on the day of the holiday itself, but the days to follow because of leftovers. As a result, you can see how easy it is to consume over 17,500 more calories without meaning to. Here are some survival tips to deal with the holidays to help you avoid the increase calorie consumption and its’ unwanted side effects.
First…..Modify your typical holiday recipes so starting out there are fewer calories. If you are not sure how many calories are in your favorite recipes, check out www.sparkrecipes.com to get the nutritional breakdown.
To reduce sugar:
To keep the recipes sweet, use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to reduce the overall calories in the recipe. Make sure that you are using the version of sweetener that can be used in baked goods. Splenda and Equal both make a version of sugar and brown sugar that can be used in cooking. Limit/Avoid all sweeteners that contain sugar alcohols. These can cause unwanted side effects such as: gas, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea. Everyone has a different tolerance level before the side effects take place. Sugar Alcohols are any words that end in “-tol”. Check the ingredients list of all sugar substitutes and “sugar free” or “no sugar added” foods to see if they contain sugar alcohols. Another way to give the allusion of sweetness is using extracts such as vanilla or peppermint. Some common spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, help enhance the sweetness as well.
When using fruit in recipes, use fresh or frozen fruit and limit the canned or dried. If you do use canned fruits make sure that they are in their own juice instead of in syrup, even if it is light syrup. This is another way to limit the unwanted calories.
To reduce fat:
Lighten up the ingredients during preparation when there are lower fat options available (e.g. skim milk, low fat sour cream, fat free condensed milk, 2% cheese, light butter, light cream cheese, etc.). Try using pureed fruits, such as prunes or applesauce as half of the needed oil, shortening, margarine or butter in the recipes. Instead of using fat in recipes to add flavor, try calorie free seasonings and herbs.
Making turkey soup or stew for the holidays? Try to make it ahead of schedule so that you can put it in the refrigerator. The fat will harden on the top of the soup and you can scoop it out before reheating. This will also work with any canned vegetables or soups that contain fat. You can tell that a canned product contains fat by looking at the food label. Where it says “total fat” anything over 5 grams is considered a serving of fat.
Limit alcohol intake. Remember that all alcohol digests as a fat, not as a carbohydrate like most people think. The other problem with alcohol is the average person has a tendency to consume 60% more calories when drinking. As a result you are getting extra calories from the alcohol itself and the appetite increase that it causes.
To increase fiber:
Use whole wheat flour/pastas/bread and rice in recipes where these products are needed. You can also add in fiber supplements such as Benefiber, Metamucil and Konsol Psyllium fiber to increase fiber content. In some instances you can use products such as, Fiber One, All Bran or oatmeal to enhance your crust or breading in your recipes.
Add extra vegetables and beans to soups and casseroles. Try to use non-starchy vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green onions, greens, mushrooms, stewed okra, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, sauerkraut, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, and zucchini, to avoid adding extra calories into the recipe.
To reduce salt:
When using canned foods that contain sodium, pour the contents of the can into a strainer and run water over them. This will help to wash a lot of the salt off the food.
Finally…..to avoid holiday weight gain….. Get moving.
Try to double your exercise routine the weeks before and the weeks right after the holidays. This will help to limit the impact that the unintentional calories can have on weight and overall health. Remember it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of weight. So when trying to lose, you have to burn 3500 extra calories to lose 1 pound of weight. Frustrating, I know.
Most importantly, enjoy the time with family and friends. I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
XOXO! The Dietnista
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