4 Healthy Food Options For The Holidays To Help You Stay Fit

You’ve finally built momentum in your weight loss journey. You’re regularly doing your workouts, you’re consistently eating the right foods but at the back of your mind the Thanksgiving Day just happened and leftovers are calling you name… in addition to that Christmas is around the corner.

Nothing halts any weight loss program to a screeching halt than the holiday season because it messes up with your diet. You can go in with the mindset of it being your reward for eating healthy for the past few weeks or so but if you are not careful, it can set you back and ruin all the gains you’ve worked hard for.

I’ve been there and done that. Without the right mindset and proper planning, spending Thanksgiving with your folks can be a carbo and sugar loading feast that will expand your waistline.

But the good thing is there are healthier options that you can prepare at home or bring with you to a party just in case your hunger pangs get the best of you.

Roasted Turkey Breast

4 Healthy Food Options For The Holidays To Help You Stay Fit
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One of the staples of any Thanksgiving dinner is a whole roasted turkey that includes the skin. While it may look healthy on the outside since it is roasted instead of fried, it still packs a whole lot of calories, a lot of which comes from the skin.

According to the USDA, a single serving size of turkey skin (from one pound of turkey) has a whopping 197 calories and 18.82 grams of fat! That’s just from the skin alone, if you add the turkey meat which is another 183 calories, that’s over 300 calories from one dish alone.

Instead of roasting a whole turkey, why not just roast just the breast (yes, without the skin). A pound of turkey breast has 153 grams of calories and 34 grams of protein. You can add herbs and spices for added flavor.

Cauliflower Mash

4 Healthy Food Options For The Holidays To Help You Stay Fit
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Mashed potato is a staple of many Thanksgiving dinners and one of my favorite dishes growing up. I love the one that has a lot of cream and butter in it but these are notoriously high in calories. In fact a cup of this (or 7.4 ounces) contain as much 237 calories and 8 grams of fat.

A healthier alternative would be to use cauliflower instead of potato as the base ingredient of this dish. I found this recipe from Brit.com and it includes the following ingredients – a large cauliflower head, quarter cup of parmesan cheese, quarter cup of skim milk, a clove of garlic, 2 teaspoons of chive and 3 tablespoons of olive oil plus salt and pepper to taste.

By using cauliflower alone you cut down the calorie content drastically from 77 down to 25 calories per 100 grams so you can eat more without while consuming fewer calories.

Lean Meat

If you’re looking for an alternative to turkey why not try lean meat instead. These dishes taste great and contain a lot of protein which is an essential building block to any weight loss program. And based on studies, eating lean meat will help you reduce cravings by up to 60%.

There are a lot of ways to cook beef. You can grill it over a griller, pan fry it over a hot cast iron skillet or cook it inside a slow cooker. One of my favorite cuts of beef is the sirloin and there are a lot of way you can prep it.

One of my favorite dishes is straight up grilled sirloin steak paired with lettuce, arugula, a few slices of mango and some vinaigrette (avoid creamed based sauces). This recipe is really easy to prepare and since there are prewashed salads available in the grocery, you can make one in as little as 5 minutes.

Green Smoothie Cocktail

4 Healthy Food Options For The Holidays To Help You Stay Fit
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One of the healthiest beverages you can consume is the green smoothie. It contains green leafy vegetables that are an essential ingredient to any healthy diet. Unlike juicing that removes the fiber, blending retains the fiber which is essential for bowel movement which results to a healthy digestive health.

If you noticed I mentioned added cocktail to the green smoothie because this drink has a twist to it – vodka. Normally, drinking alcohol isn’t a good I idea because it wrecks your liver and messes up with your metabolism but since it is the holidays, a few shots would not hurt.

In this recipe add three to four pieces of kale leaves (or lettuce), a small chunk of fresh ginger, 2 green apples, one lemon (minus the skin) and a shot or two of vodka (use the classic vodka). This drink combines the sourness of lemon, spiciness of ginger and the kick of vodka. You can adjust the amount of vodka depending on your preference.

If you don’t like the consistency of a green smoothie, then you can opt for a green juice instead.

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