5 Expert Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating From a Dietitian

Thanksgiving is the official start of the eating season. And, while the notion that most Americans gain 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is false (the average is about 2 pounds), the pounds gained during this time of year will likely be with you for most of your adult life.

Since preventing weight gain is easier than losing pesky pounds, here’s what I do to help ensure my weight stays stable during this season defined by excessive food and drinks.

I have a strategy for success.

I approach the holidays with a gameplan of how to eat and exercise. For example, two days before Thanksgiving, I cut back on my eating and try to increase my exercise. On Thanksgiving Day, I focus on the healthiest foods at the holiday meal and eat those items first. If I’m not satisfied after eating the best choices, only then will I go back for some of the more decadent treats. This is the easiest way to squeeze out the less-healthy options and empty calories on the menu. For the two days after the holiday, I continue to eat lighter or intermittent fast to ensure that my weight is stable.

I bounce back fast.

A typical Thanksgiving dinner may be 2,000 calories or more, but it should only be one meal! One day of overeating doesn’t cause weight gain. It’s when one day becomes three days, a week and then a month. I allow myself to indulge at Thanksgiving, holiday parties and other events, but I get back on track immediately – at my next meal. I don’t let a single diet detour turn into a full derailment. Too many clients of mine who struggle with their weight throw in the towel starting in Thanksgiving, and they don’t get back on track until well into the New Year.

I move more.

I will always attend the holiday Thanksgiving workout at my local CrossFit gym. It’s longer and harder than most CrossFit workouts of the day (or WODs, in CrossFit language), so everyone can feel better about overindulging later in the day. This year, I will also add some pickleball before or after CrossFit and even try to squeeze in a short hike. CrossFit WODs provide me even more leeway in my calorie budget.

Extra exercise – especially high-intensity workouts – can help boost your body’s fat-burning abilities so that you will be less likely to store excess calories as body fat. Bottom line: Move more if you’re going to eat more.

I put the brakes on booze.

It’s no surprise that the cheer of the holidays means the season is the booziest time of year. Since alcohol is calorie rich, stimulates your appetite and reduces your inhibitions, it’s hard to stay on track when you imbibe. I am a teetotaler, so that has always been a key advantage for me to help stay on track during the holiday season. Studies show that alcohol enjoyed before a meal leads to increased calorie consumption at mealtimes. To highlight the special occasion, I may jazz up sparkling water with some fresh cranberries and mint. Or consider a festive non-alcoholic drink.

I modify recipes.

No matter what I’m making during the holidays, I have simple tricks to improve the healthfulness of holiday favorites. Since cranberry sauce is my favorite traditional dish, I make it every year, no matter what, so that I can enjoy my holiday fave guilt-free. To make mine healthier, I use unsweetened applesauce and fresh apples for half of the sugar and replace the rest of the sugar with an all-natural stevia and cane sugar blend, which slashes calories from sugar in my recipes by 75% without impacting the taste or texture.

When I bake a holiday treat, I’ll use a fruit puree in place of half the fat, and I’ll slash the sugar by using allulose or stevia in place of half or more of the sugar.