It’s so easy to slip into unhealthy eating habits during the holidays. Here are tips for healthier choices.

During the festive season, we all tend to relax a bit when it comes to the things we do routinely throughout the year such as exercising and healthy eating. With longer days, year-end functions, less of a schedule and impromptu gatherings of family and friends, it’s quite easy to slip into unhealthy eating habits during the holidays.

Here we look at healthier alternatives for some of the foods you may come across this festive season. While indulging every now and then is a normal part of a well-balanced, enjoyable intake of food, making healthier choices most of the time will stand you in good stead and keep you healthy as you head into the new year.

 

Naughty list* Nice list*
Baked muesli with flavoured yoghurt, a glass of juice and a bran muffin with jam. These items are not bad foods in and of themselves, but in combination they give you a lot of sugar in one go. Opt for toasted muesli with some nuts and seeds, use a plain yoghurt and dilute your juice with water.
Instead of a bran muffin, opt for a low GI bread with good protein sources such as cheese or eggs and top it off with vitamin E-rich avocado. If you’re not a fan of eggs or cheese, try a sugar-free nut butter.
Salted nuts. Unsalted nuts. Try roasting your own raw almonds with some rosemary, which adds a great savoury flavour.
Buttered popcorn. Pop your own popcorn so that you control the amount of oil used.
Eating finger foods at a cocktail every time a waiter comes past because you aren’t paying attention to how much you are eating. Eating a satisfying portion of finger foods. Plate a few finger foods on a side plate, choosing the ones you enjoy − and then stop when you feel full.
Potato bakes with mayonnaise. Broccoli and cauliflower bakes. These vegetables are jam-packed with vitamins. Ditch the traditional cheese sauce and rather use basil pesto or a tomato, chilli, cumin and garlic sauce.
Cream-based dips high in salt or sugar. Hummus. Made from chickpeas, hummus is creamy and adds a little protein to your intake.
Milkshakes. Smoothies. Try a mango, yoghurt and almond smoothie for a delicious creamy treat.
Crisps. Biltong is a great, protein-rich alternative.
Chicken with the skin. Lean chicken fillets or chicken without the skin.
Fizzy drinks. Good old water! Dehydration will make you feel fatigued and water not only satisfies thirst, but quenches it too. If plain water is not to your liking, add some mint, lemon, berries or lime for a little flavour.

Sources

 

www.webmd.com
www.heartfoundation.co.za
www.taste.com.au

 

*The naughty and nice categories are by no means a scientific category for each food, but rather a way of showing which options may be the healthier choice in each setting this festive season.