7 Tips for Heart Healthy Holiday Eating
The holidays are a great time to relax and connect with family and friends. Often, holiday gatherings revolve around food and while there will be no shortage of delicious items to sample, many of the options at holiday meals aren’t the most heart healthy. If you give in to an indulgent “treat yourself” mentality throughout the holiday season, you’re likely to compromise many of the heart healthy goals you’ve strived to achieve throughout the year. It’s important to remember that when you’re trying to optimize your heart health, even minor changes to your routine over the holidays can have a big impact, so it’s critical to avoid a month-long period of gluttony at the end of the year.
The good news is that by implementing a few practical strategies, you can still enjoy holiday meals without compromising your heart health. The following tips will help ensure your holidays remain festive and heart healthy.
Prioritize Portion Control and Mindful Choices
It’s easy to overload your plate at holiday meals. Unfortunately, this can result in much more than a bout of food coma after you’re done eating. Overeating during the holidays – especially if your plate is consistently filled with unhealthy options – can result in weight gain and negatively impact your heart health.
The easiest way to avoid overeating during the holidays is to focus on portion control. Take the following steps to manage your portion sizes:
- Use smaller plates to limit the amount of food you take at big meals
- Serve yourself modest amounts – skip that extra scoop when you make your plate of food
- Choose smaller portions of foods that are less heart healthy and supplement these items with more generous servings of heart healthy options such as salads, fruit or steamed vegetables
- Don’t rush to get seconds – if you wait a few minutes, you may find that you don’t really need that extra helping
- If you’re attending holiday gatherings with a significant other, share a dessert to reduce sugar and fat intake
You can also be mindful about the foods you put on your plate. It’s fine to enjoy a sweet treat at a holiday meal, but you don’t have to sample every dessert on the table. A good approach that will help minimize your sugar intake at holiday meals is to prioritize desserts and sides that are only available during the holidays instead of high-fat and sugary foods you can eat all year long.
Make Smart Substitutions
Many of the holiday staples you look forward to every year are delicious because they’re loaded with fats, sodium, sugar and calories – in other words, they’re not typically made with heart healthy ingredients. But it’s important to remember that you don’t have to make the most indulgent version of your favorite holiday recipe. You can make smart substitutions which swap out ingredients that are problematic for your heart health with ingredients that will still deliver a tasty dish but will help you promote heart health.
Some ways you can make your holiday dishes healthier include:
- Choosing lean meats such as roasted turkey, grilled or baked chicken and non-fried fish such as salmon, which are lower in saturated fat and calories
- Swapping out creamy dressings and sauces for ones based in olive oil, yogurt or pureed vegetables
- Limiting salt and instead using more herbs and spices to enhance flavors
Feature Heart Healthy Sides
Many holiday sides are heavy and rich. Serving sides that are deep fried or loaded with ingredients such as butter, cheese and heavy cream will make for a delicious meal, but not a heart healthy one. When evaluating the side dishes to feature at your holiday meal, consider choosing options that are better for your heart health.
There are many potential holiday sides that are both tasty and heart healthy. Instead of heavy casseroles and fried foods, consider serving:
- Roasted vegetables
- Baked or roasted potatoes
- Sauteed green beans
- Salads containing mostly fruits and vegetables (skip the cheese, croutons, and other ingredients that are high fat or high calorie)
You can make your holiday sides much healthier by limiting the use of:
- Butter
- Cream
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese
- Refined carbs such as pasta or white bread
- Sugar
Don’t Skip Meals Earlier in the Day
It’s understandable that you might want to skip meals leading up to a holiday party to leave room for all the food at your gathering, but this approach often leads to overeating. Make sure you eat breakfast the day of a holiday party and have a light snack in the middle of the day. This way, you’ll show up to the big meal ready to eat, but not so hungry that you overindulge.
Be Mindful of the Beverages You Consume
Many holiday beverages, including eggnog, wine, ciders and mixed drinks, are high in sugar and calories.
Limit your consumption of alcohol and other sugary holiday beverages during parties and family gatherings. Always discuss alcohol guidelines with your health care provider.
Stay Active
The holiday season can get very busy, and it’s often hard to find time to maintain a consistent exercise routine. But staying active is extremely important, especially when you’re consuming large quantities of holiday foods. Make sure you build in time for exercise each week, even if it’s less frequent than during the rest of the year, since regular exercise is critical for optimal heart health.
It’s also a good idea to take a walk with family and friends after a big holiday meal. A long walk after your meal will jumpstart your metabolism and support your heart health.
Have a Realistic Mindset
Setting realistic expectations for holiday eating is critical to maintaining heart healthy practices. You’re most likely going to enjoy some decadent foods that you don’t typically eat, and that’s fine. For most of us, cutting out all of these foods during the holidays simply isn’t a realistic goal.
If you look at holiday eating with an “all or nothing” mindset that results in austerity in some moments and overindulgence in others, you’re likely to crave unhealthy foods even more. This will typically result in more holiday food binging (“all) than healthy eating (“nothing”).
Instead, approach holiday eating with a moderation mindset. Pick a few moments when you allow yourself to enjoy small quantities of your favorite holiday foods, and balance these occasions with healthy eating during the rest of the season.
South Denver Cardiology Can Help You Make Healthy Holiday Eating Choices
The holiday season doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your heart health. By making smart choices at holiday meals, you can continue to eat in a way that optimizes your heart health while still enjoying your favorite holiday treats. The tips above are a great place to start when trying to maintain a heart healthy diet over the holidays, but our team at South Denver Cardiology is also here to help if you could use additional support during this time of year.
We encourage you to take advantage of our nutritional consulting services so that you make smart choices regarding your holiday eating. Our team of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists will educate you about heart healthy foods to include in your holiday meals, and we can help you understand which dishes to either eat in small quantities or avoid entirely. If you’re currently managing a cardiovascular condition, our team can help you develop a customized nutrition plan based on your specific condition.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. South Denver Cardiology serves patients in Denver, Littleton and the surrounding areas.
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