Nutrition Nook – Yes, Celebrate! But Keep an Eye on Health 

By Janet Thompson 

No escaping it…the holidays are upon us, ushering in the temptations and frustrations of attempting to maintain a healthy diet. 

I think the downward slide into unhealthy eating starts with Halloween and all the candy. Then fall recipes using yummy pumpkin always call for lots of sugar. Just as the last of the candy wrappers disappear in the trash, along comes Thanksgiving, the day we thank God for His provision by feasting. 

Then only a few days later it’s already December 1 so Christmas parties start touting cookies, candy, fudge, eggnog, cakes, pies, and lots of calorie-ridden, fat-laden food! It’s easy to lose heart – literally and figuratively – and decide you’ll just throw caution to the wind and get back to healthy eating January 1. 

But hey, there’s all the nibbles and snacks watching the New Year’s parade and football, and it’s too cold to go outside and exercise so those extra few pounds over the holidays can quickly morph to a couple of new dress or pants sizes. Then it’s Super Bowl parties, Valentine’s Day, and the cycle just continues. 

What’s a Body to Do? 

“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.” – Proverbs 8:12 

There really is a way to stay in control of your health and still enjoy the holidays. I do it every year and you can too, but you must have a plan in place. Pray in advance about how you’re going to deal with all the tempting food you’ll soon be encountering before you encounter it. Ask God to give you wisdom and discernment on what to eat, how much to eat, what to cook, how to cook it, and what to avoid. 

Our usual tactic is to promise ourselves we’ll be good, and then when we get to the party, we throw caution to the wind…and then beat ourselves up the next day when we get on the scales. So here are some tips I’ve found helpful over the years. 

1. I do get on the scales regularly so I can keep a handle on my weight. If you wait until you notice it in your clothes, chances are you’re going to have a tough time getting it off. If I see I’ve gained a few pounds, I take that seriously and lay off desserts and eat smaller portions until I lose the extra weight.
2. If you have an exercise regime, don’t stop. If you don’t have one, start. Even though the holidays can be crazy, do this for you. Give yourself the gift that keeps on giving. Exercise helps with stress, gets the endorphins pumping, and burns calories. Find a way to fit it in. In bad weather, take laps around a mall, or I’ve done laps inside a church. Get some friends to join you.
3. Take a green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing to a potluck or party. That way you know there’s something healthy for you to eat. As you go down the buffet line, take only a spoonful of things you really love and don’t go back for seconds. Be especially mindful of Jell-O salads usually loaded with sugar and fat.
4. When there’s a selection of desserts, have a small piece of the one you love the most. Or take tiny servings of several. If you bite into one and it isn’t as good as you thought it would be, don’t finish it!
5. Let your stomach guide you. Most of us feel uncomfortable when we overeat, so when you start to feel the belt or waistband tighten around your middle, STOP eating.
6. If you love bread, let yourself have a small piece but don’t use butter. If it’s store-bought dinner rolls, skip them.
7. If you’re out to dinner, make a visual line down the middle of your plate and only eat half of the meal. Ask for a to-go box for a tasty lunch tomorrow.
8. Drink water. Avoid punches, juices, soft drinks, and alcohol.
9. Enjoy stuffing or mashed potatoes without gravy. They’re delicious on their own or check out the mashed cauliflower recipe at the end of this article. Also, avoid “sauces.”
10. If you’re on a special diet like I am, take some of your own food or offer to bring it as a side dish for everyone.
11. Instead of feeling left out for dessert, again bring something you can eat. I brought a keto pecan pie to our family Thanksgiving dinner once. I have to admit, I was the only one who ate it, but when the pies came out after turkey dinner, I didn’t feel deprived.

Cooking for the Holidays 

I used to bring out all my recipes from my childhood holiday favorites and spend a day or two in the kitchen making cookies and candy. Then I realized I was the one eating most of it. So now, I pick a favorite or two and that’s it. Here are some ideas for making your recipes healthier: 

1. Never use shortening in anything. Substitute coconut oil or even butter.
2. When a recipe calls for “vegetable” oil, if it’s a dessert, use coconut oil (you can melt it), grapeseed oil, or applesauce. For all other recipes use olive or avocado oil.
3. Cut the amount of sugar in half in recipes and use a sugar substitute like stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, or xylitol for the other half. Or stick with just half the sugar or use all sugar substitute. Avoid recipes that are pure sugar. They’re not good for anyone.
4. Use 2% milk, almond or coconut milk.
5. Substitute whole-wheat flour for some of the white flour in a recipe.
6. If you’re gluten-free or low carb, follow the recipes for the appropriate flours to use.
7. If you’re making cookies or sweets with the grandkids, send the goodies home.

Remember that these holidays are not all about food. When you gather together with friends and family, it’s about fellowship as you thank God for His blessings and remember the greatest gift of all, His Son Jesus Christ. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever (Ps. 107:1). 

I’m thankful for the opportunity to share nutrition tips with you and appreciate you reading Christian Living Magazine. In Nutrition Nook, I share with you the desire to live the best life we can for the Lord and to love His gift of our precious bodies. 

Happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Christmas – Janet 

Holiday Recipe 

At Thanksgiving one year, I made mashed cauliflower for those like me who couldn’t eat mashed potatoes. Here’s a simple recipe I learned from an employee at Trader Joe’s. BTW, they also have frozen mashed and riced cauliflower at TJ’s, but they were out of the mashed when I was shopping so I made my own. 

Cauliflower Mock Mashed Potatoes 

1. Wash and cut a head of cauliflower into florets or buy a package of florets.
2. Put florets in a saucepan with Organic Bone Chicken Broth to cover about an inch up the pan.
3. Add 3 peeled garlic gloves.
4. Cook until the cauliflower is soft.
5. Season to taste, add a little butter if you choose, and mash in the pan with a hand blender or masher until desired consistency. Delicious!

Janet Thompson, award-winning Christian speaker, freelance author, and author of 20 books, is also the founder, director, and God’s servant of Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry and About His Work Ministries. Her passion and focus is mentoring the next generation. Her tag line is, “Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness.” She has a BS in Food Administration, MBA, and Master of Arts in Christian Leadership. Check out her books and sign up for her free weekly online blog and monthly newsletter at womantowomanmentoring.com. Join her on www.facebook.com/Janetthompson.authorspeaker, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, and Instagram.ß