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Eat Healthily During the Holidays
Healthy eating can help reduce risk of not only heart trouble, stroke and cancer but also orthopedic problems.
Every extra pound on your body translates to four extra pounds on your joints. Shedding extra pounds can reduce joint pain
and stiffness you may be experiencing.
Furthermore, if overweight, you may have to postpone needed hip or knee replacement because of your increased risk of complications
during the surgery.
And if you’re diabetic due to being overweight, your risk of contracting infection during surgery is much greater, and your
circulation may be too poor for your wounds to heal quickly.
So, eating right is good for your orthopedic health. Unfortunately, the holiday season can be a difficult time for people
to try to manage their weight. Family gatherings and holiday parties often involve a large selection of foods that are high
in fat and calories.
To stay on track with your weight management, it’s important to plan ahead and have some strategies in place to maintain a
healthy eating plan. Here are some tips from Samantha Jové, MS, RD, LDN, Manager of Nutrition, and Amy Boltz, RD, LDN, Dietician,
of the Rothman Institute at Jefferson.
Don’t allow yourself to get hungry. Hunger often leads to poor food choices and overeating.
• Eat a healthy snack before going to a party (fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc.).
• Don’t skip meals on holidays; eat at least three meals, as you would on a regular day.
Portion control is key.
• Use a smaller plate so you don’t take too much food. Keep portions small. A taste often satisfies a craving.
• Try to limit yourself to one trip to the buffet.
• If you would like more to satisfy cravings, make doggy bag and take a portion home with you for the next day.
Do not stand beside the food at a party. You can often snack on hors d’oeuvres without realizing how much you’re eating.
• Focus on the conversation rather than the food – enjoy the company!
Avoid “clean your plate syndrome.” Leaving some food on your plate will signal that you are done eating, and people will be less likely to ask if you want seconds.
Chose healthier foods to fill up on at parties. The following are some healthy food options often found at parties:
• Steamed shrimp or scallops – try cocktail sauce or lemon as a condiment instead of higher-fat alternatives such as butter,
mayonnaise or tarter sauce.
• Fruits and vegetables – eat them plain or with sparingly applied low-fat yogurt or low-fat dip.
Choose only foods you really want to eat. Don’t waste calories on foods you don’t enjoy.
• Look at all the food choices at a party before eating and select accordingly.
Limit alcoholic and sugary beverages. The calories you drink can add up quickly and often don’t provide any nutritional value to the diet. Alcoholic beverages
may also stimulate your appetite and inhibit your ability to make appropriate food choices.
• If you do have an alcoholic beverage, make it red wine. One four-ounce glass contains only 70 calories – far fewer than
mixed drinks or beer. And, unlike white wine, it contains antioxidants that help prevent orthopedic problems by slowing down
the body’s production of free radicals, which, as we age, break down our skin and cartilage.
Control your environment.
• Limit candy, cookies and other snacks in the house.
• If someone gives you cookies, have one and freeze the rest for when you have guests, give them to friends or neighbors,
take them to work or throw them out.
• Fill decorative dishes with potpourri in place or candy.
Continue with your exercise program. This helps manage stress and burn calories. When schedules get busy, remember a shortened workout is better than no workout
at all!
Enjoy the other aspects of the holidays. Don’t let food be your only focus.
Try these healthy substitutions for holiday cooking:
|
Instead of
|
Use
|
| Cream cheese |
Low-fat or fat-free cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese |
| Heavy cream |
Evaporated skim milk |
| High-fat cheeses |
Low-fat or skim-milk cheese (Look for <5 grams fat per oz.) |
| Mayonnaise |
Low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise or plain low-fat yogurt |
| Oil or fat (for basting) |
Fruit juice or low-fat stock |
| Oil (in baked goods) |
Applesauce |
| Sour cream |
Fat-free sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt |
| Sugar |
Non-nutritive sweeteners (e.g., Splenda) |
| Whipped cream |
Fat-free whipped cream or fat-free Cool Whip |
| White flour |
Equal parts white flour and whole-wheat flour |
| Whole egg |
2 egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute |
| Whole milk |
Skim milk |
