Healthy Holiday Eating: A Comparison of Two Meal Plans / Nutrition

During holiday gatherings, you may be confronted with array of food and drink options that you rarely see during the rest of the year. Though overindulging could derail your health plans, do not despair! Study the two meal plans below - their similarities and differences - to see where a few small changes could make a big impact.

Traditional Holiday Dinner	Healthy Holiday Dinner
Appetizers
3 pigs in blankets crudités and dip 4 crackers with 2 oz. of cheese handful of mixed nuts 1 pre-dinner cocktail	crudités with fat-free yogurt dip corn chips with bean dip and salsa handful of Concord grapes 1 light beer
Dinner
croissant 1 cup salad with ranch dressing 3 oz. light and 3 oz. dark roasted turkey with skin ½-cup stuffing ½-cup mashed potato ½-cup gravy ½-cup candied sweet potato with marshmallow topping ½-cup string bean casserole ¼-cup cranberry sauce 2 glasses white wine	1 cup salad with low-calorie dressing 3 oz. skinless roasted turkey breast 1/3-cup stuffing 1/3-cup white potatoes mashed with nonfat sour cream and chives ¼-cup defatted gravy 1/3-cup steamed sweet potatoes flavored with apple cider and cinnamon ¾-cup roasted mixed vegetables ¼-cup light cranberry sauce 1 glass white wine
Dessert
1 sliver pumpkin pie and pecan pie, each with a dollop of whipped cream	pumpkin pie filling in custard cip ½-cup Indian (corn) pudding
Total Nutrition
4,027 calories 355g carbohydrate 127g protein 204g fat 17g fiber 5,965 mg sodium 478 mg cholesterol	1,130 calories 178g carbohydrate 50g protein 11.5g fat 19g fiber 1,417mg sodium 92mg cholesterol

Remember that a holiday meal may have more food options than what you regularly eat for dinner, so it is OK to have more than your standard dinner. Considering most people should eat at least 1,800 calories a day, if you eat a light breakfast and lunch, you won't go much over. To ensure that you stay in caloric maintenance, take a pre-dinner hike or post-dinner walk.

Jeannie Gedeon, MPH, RD/CDN is a nutrition therapist who specializes in counseling for eating and weight issues and is an expert in the treatment of eating disorders. Jeannie works with patients recovering from anorexia and bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, night eating syndrome, food addiction and compulsive exercise. Her offices are located in mid-town Manhattan and Huntington, NY.

Healthy Holiday Eating: A Comparison of Two Meal Plans

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