FBCH offers strategies for eating healthy during the holiday

Healthy eating over the holiday season doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding all your favorite foods, according to Fort Belvoir Community Hospital’s Nutrition Clinic. Holiday favorites should be balanced with fruits and vegetables and enjoyed in smaller portions.

“Also, keep in mind that holiday festivities don’t always have to be centered on food,” said Capt. Carly Eckard, chief of Clinical Nutrition. “Think of new ways to enjoy the holiday season such as taking a walk to view the lights in your neighborhood, attending a local holiday performance, or involving the whole Family or a group of friends in a craft project, game night or an evening of caroling.”

To limit overindulging during the holidays, avoid skipping meals prior to holiday parties and functions as people tend to overeat if allowed to become too hungry, Eckard explained. At parties, use a small dessert or salad plate at the buffet table, filling it with vegetables or fruit and then add a few, small bite-size servings of favorite holiday snacks.

“Candy dishes, snack trays, family-style meals, and dessert displays look nice but make portion control extremely difficult,” advised Joanne Kuchta of the Clinical Nutrition. “Instead, try serving individual portions and keep extras in the kitchen to prevent temptation.”

When entertaining, serving a variety of winter fruits such as apples, pears, cranberries, pomegranate, and oranges can be combined to make a healthy and festive fruit platter or baked holiday dessert as an alternative to sugary treats.

Eckard also suggests preparing mashed potatoes with a blend of potatoes and sweet potatoes with the skin and substitute evaporated milk for cream and butter. This will lower the calorie and fat content while increasing the fiber and vitamin and mineral content.

Keep moderation and portion control in mind when fitting treats and sweets into a holiday meal plan. Replace half the sugar in a recipe with a sugar substitute or, with moist desserts, replace the fat with applesauce.

To ward off weight gain, Kuchta suggests trying to fit in extra activities like extra walking while shopping and cleaning the house for holiday guests can help.

“The holidays can be a stressful time of year,” Eckard explained. “Many of us look to food for comfort during emotional and stressful situations. When we eat for reasons other than hunger, we tend to not pay attention to portion size or choose healthy foods. Monitoring and dealing with stress can play a big role in preventing holiday weight gain.”

The Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Nutrition Clinic hosts a monthly cooking class in the nutrition clinic, Oaks Pavilion, Room O1.110. The next class is Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to noon. To register, call (571) 231-3369.