Healthy Tips for the Holidays
Holiday celebrations are full of sharing good times and good food with friends and family. Yet many traditional holiday foods are high in sugar, fat and salt — and the sheer length of the modern holiday season (does it seem to last from Halloween to New Year's?) can exhaust even the best of dietary intentions. Here are a few suggestions for staying health-focused during this time of year.
Cooking & Entertaining
- Browse our collection of especially healthful, delicious holiday recipes.
- When menu planning, choose recipes that feature seasonal vegetables such as leafy greens, winter squashes and root vegetables. Plan to always serve a green salad and plenty of vegetable and whole grain side dishes with your holiday meals.
- Try working more whole grains into your holiday baking. Most recipes will produce great results with up to one-half the amount of all-purpose flour replaced with whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour.
- A meal prepared from a wide range of delicious, natural, and whole fresh foods is one of the greatest gifts you can give friends and family.
At Parties
- Eat a healthy, filling snack or small meal before heading out to a holiday party; it's easier to make sensible food and drink choices on a full stomach.
- Think about reconfiguring your holiday plate: Larger portions of vegetables and whole grains and smaller portions of meats and animal products will leave you feeling satisfied and boost your nutrient intake.
- Choose a smaller (salad- or dessert-size) plate when you head over to a holiday buffet, and you'll naturally take smaller portions of each dish. You can still enjoy all the flavors of the season, but you're more likely to do it with just a spoon or two or a single slice of each offering.
- Take a healthy dish along to contribute to holiday meals, parties and potlucks. This way you'll always have at least one great option to fill up on. You can try one of our excellent holiday recipes, or even visit our prepared foods department and look for Health Starts Here-labeled dishes.
- Read our full collection of tips on how to fight festive failure.
Just at Home
- Commit to healthy eating during all non-holiday related meals during the season: Base your meals around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins and avoid processed, salty, sugary and fatty foods.
- Stick to a good exercise plan, and try to add some fun activities like skating, sledding, hiking and walking to your schedule.
- Relax, get enough sleep, have some laughs ... and enjoy the season!