Healthy Holiday Swaps in Rock Hill SC

Read on for some holiday eating tips from our clinic in Rock Hill SC.

Don't Skip Meals in Rock Hill SC

• If the party is during lunch, eat a healthy breakfast followed in midmorning by a high-fiber snack, such as an apple or a small handful of almonds.
• If the party is after work, enjoy a protein-packed lunch like grilled fish or chicken with a salad and in the afternoon, have another high-fiber snack.
• Filling up on good fuel before the event will make it easier to avoid overeating.

Appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres

• Bring a dish for the party. Make a healthy item and give yourself at least one good option to enjoy.
• Bring quick and healthy prepared foods like cut-up vegetables, salsa, yogurt dips and baked whole grain chips.
• Avoid loading up on foods that are fried, buttered or have a lot of cheese and cream. Look for fruit, veggies and dip, whole-grain crackers, and baked or grilled items.
• Use a small plate. Put your food on it instead of nibbling right from serving trays

Healthy holiday swap: Hummus
Serve hummus instead of a cream cheese-based dip, which packs on around 50 calories from fat. Hummus is full of protein, fiber, and calcium. Add fresh, colorful veggies to the plate for dipping, it's a quick and easy substitute for chips or crackers and can add nutrients like vitamin A from carrots, folate and vitamin C from bell peppers, and vitamins B and C plus fiber from broccoli.

Beverages

• Drink sparkling water, plain, or flavored with a splash of orange or cranberry juice.
• Avoid alcohol. It adds empty calories and may lower your resistance to overeating.
• If drinking alcohol, alternate each glass with a glass of water.
• Watch seasonal drinks. Many holiday beverages have so much added sugar, they may as well be a dessert.

Healthy holiday swap: Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate or Apple Cider
Choose apple cider or sugar-free hot chocolate instead of calorie-laden egg nog full of cream, sugar and egg yolks and about 440 calories per cup!

• Check labels. When buying cider at the store, check its added sugar content.
• Do it yourself. Make cider at home, using unsweetened apple juice and spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg and whole cranberries. You'll keep the flavor while cutting calories.
• Portion control. Keep in mind serving sizes: egg nog: 4 ounces, wine: 5 oz., liquor: 1.5 oz.
• Fill your glass with half- to three-quarter-parts of low-fat or skim milk and one part eggnog.

Healthy holiday swap: Non-Dairy Egg Nog
Non-dairy varieties have half the calories and sugar, and less fat compared to traditional eggnog.

• Califia Farms Almond Nog: ½ cup: 50 kcals, 1.5 g fat, 9 g carbs, 8 g sugar
• Silk Almond or Soy Nog: ½ cup: 80 kcals, 1.5 g fat, 13 g carbs, 11 g sugar

Healthy holiday swap: Sparkling Water
For cocktails, replace a sugary mixer with sparkling water. Mashed fruit is a great natural sweetener when paired with bubbly water. Try these methods to bypass 30 g of sugar in a typical mixed drink.

Cooking

• Compare labels of your holiday ingredients, and choose products with lower sodium and added sugars.
• Limit yourself to a small spoonful of casserole and fill the rest of your plate with a serving of lean protein along with roasted or sautéed veggies and tossed salad instead.
• Don't bury good foods under fats and sugars

Healthy holiday swap: Whole Grains
Use whole-grain breads, rice and pasta instead of white.

Healthy holiday swap: Low-Fat Milk or Almond Milk
Instead of whole milk or heavy cream, substitute low-fat or fat-free/skim milk.

Healthy holiday swap: Olive Oil, Herbs & Spices
Use olive oil and herbs instead of butter, cream or cheese in veggie dishes. Season cooked broccoli, collard greens and asparagus with fresh lemon juice or fresh herbs.

Roast sweet potatoes (rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene and potassium) with olive oil and spices like cinnamon or paprika instead of covering them with brown sugar, butter, cream and marshmallow toppings.

Healthy holiday swap: Roasted Veggies
Instead of a green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and fried onions, try a vegetable side dish of roasted halved Brussels sprouts and sliced almonds tossed together with olive oil.

Healthy holiday swap: Plain Greek Yogurt
Any holiday side dish that requires sour cream-mashed potatoes, casseroles, sauces-can be made healthier by subbing in an equal amount of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. When incorporated into a recipe, Greek yogurt tastes nearly identical to sour cream. With this substitute, you'll enhance the protein in your dish too!

Healthy holiday swap: Cauliflower Mash
A cup of mashed potatoes is over 200 calories (and that's before the added butter and gravy). Cut calories and empty carbs by making mashed cauliflower instead. Mashed cauliflower has the same texture and similar flavor, and loaded with vitamin C.

Desserts

• Think portion control, not deprivation: take a moderate spoonful or a narrow slice of the less-healthful foods.
• Use the buddy system. Split a dessert with someone and cut the calories and fat in half!

Healthy holiday swap: Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin is almost always the better option. Pumpkin pie is lower in calories and saturated fat because it only has a bottom crust, and pumpkin high in Vitamin A and other nutrients.

Baking

Healthy holiday swap: Fruit Puree
Instead of butter, substitute equal parts unsweetened applesauce, canned pumpkin or other fruit purees.

Healthy holiday swap: Lower-Calorie Sugar
Substitutes Use a lower-calorie sugar substitute like Truvia baking blends, a sugar alternative made from an herb, stevia, that is up to 40 times sweeter than sugar but has zero calories and won't cause a spike in your blood sugar. Since it is sweeter than sugar, remember to use less. When baking, substitute ½ cup Truvia baking blend for 1 cup regular sugar.

Healthy holiday swap: Unsweetened Milk Alternatives
Substitute low-fat or skim milk instead of whole or heavy cream. Unsweetened milk alternatives like almond milk work just as well cup for cup!

Healthy holiday swap: Whole-Grain Flours
Instead of using only white flour, use half white and half whole-wheat flour or try King Arthur's white whole wheat flour or make your own oat flour to get the health benefits of whole-grains like extra antioxidants, minerals, fiber and protein!

A Few Extra Tips:

• Put down your fork earlier in the evening. Late-night eating gives you less of a sense of fullness than eating earlier in the day and can result in a larger daily food intake.
• Balance low- and higher-calorie foods
• Take the focus off the food. Conversation is calorie-free and standing burns more calories than sitting - get up and mingle!
• Socialize away from the buffet table or the bowl of chips.
• Take a walk before the guests arrive or after meals. Give yourself the gift of a little time to think, relax and rejuvenate.