It’s that favorite time of the year! We get ready for gatherings and to enjoy of the special meals. Holiday food is truly delicious, and we can now and then indulge in these types of dishes to delight in great celebration. However, for some people, it may be a little concern to think of enjoying holiday food and not to gain weight or increase their sugar levels. I know your struggle! Especially if you are diabetic, or trying to lose weight, you don’t want to feel that guilty after merrily eating. The good thing is that you actually don’t need to worry or stress about it! I will show you the tricks on how to make healthy recipes for the holidays.

Remember that this time of the year is about sharing and enjoying different kinds of foods and meals. Everything goes down to balance and moderation. It can be a little tricky for some of us we want to cater to people with certain dietary restrictions, like diabetics, however, there are many options to make the dishes healthier. The truth is, there aren’t really many “unhealthy” traditional holiday foods. What makes them more caloric is the amount of extras or “special” ingredients that we add to garnish the food. But typically, food can still turn out healthy, if you know how to make the trick of the type of ingredients you use and the amount you serve.

Healthy recipes for the holidays can be easily done

The great thing about meals, in general, is that you can always make small adjustments in type of ingredients, amount of servings, type of preparation and many other tricks. Turkey, for example, is a lean meat, so as I mentioned, is not that the food itself is unhealthy. You can actually create other recipes and come up with cool new nutritious and tasty dishes! In order to create healthy recipes for the holidays, you can work with existing recipes and modify them to your taste. You can also come up with new “healthier additions” and mix different foods to make the dining experience unique.

Healthy recipes for the holidays, some useful tips

Here, I will give you some few powerful strategies to make healthy recipes for the holidays. This is from a nutritionist perspective, but also from someone who totally loves eating delicious during the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I will not tell you to deprive yourself from a good taste nor limiting yourself to the extreme. All you need to do is know how to get around the “excesses” that can cause you to gain unnecessary weight, cause belly discomfort due to overeating, or taking up your blood sugar.

• Use natural ingredients

This is a great strategy. When making healthy recipes for the holidays, you want to use as much natural ingredients as possible. Especially when it comes to fruits and nuts or greens, the more natural, the healthier and tastier. A plus to this is the nutritional value of the meal. Make sure that you take advantage of seasoning like garlic, bell peppers, onions, green leaves, natural syrup, raisins, and others.

Limit the amount of processed food used for garnishing, for example, packaged sauces or artificial gravings. These are foods that can be easily made with natural ingredients on your own. Processed food has many additives like excess sodium, hidden sugar and other preservatives. If you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or high blood cholesterol, these substances can spike up your blood levels.

• Look for healthy substitutes

Now, there are many smart options and alternatives to make healthy recipes for the holidays. Try to make healthy “swaps” of certain ingredients in your recipes. A typical example is sugar. Instead of using white sugar, choose options like brown sugar, or even substitutes like stevia. You can replace mayo by natural yogurt, and you may season it with some salt, pepper, and other spices. You can also use low-fat milk to make a healthier version of eggnog, versus  using the commercial one.

Tamales, are a very common holiday meal in Costa Rica. A great healthier option includes adding chicken and using chicken gravy, rather than pork and shortening. And, what about “healthier” appetizers? Instead of using fried chips, for example, make a baked version. Also, use whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread to make croutons. The same goes with fats. You want to focus on vegetable oils, but if a recipe requires butter, like cakes, go for the “light” version. These are just a few examples of small changes you can make to create healthy recipes for the holidays.

• Incorporate tasty “superfoods”

Foods like avocado, nuts and fruits are the go-to options for your dishes. Besides being super tasty, these superfoods are very nutritious and filling. Using vegetables and creating colorful salads will help to give your meals a different healthy twist. Add eggs, mix raw and cooked vegetables to give different textures to the food. Also, fruits are usually used as ingredients for desserts. Create a fun dessert topped with fruits and nuts. Apart from that, add foods that you may already have in your fridge or dispense. That way, you don’t have to think about waste. Using fresh superfoods can cut down on a lot of calories and unnecessary additives. Another great benefit is that the foods can be very filling, such as the salad dishes.

• Be mindful of special needs

If you or any of your family members have a special health condition, you may need to make adjustments to the ingredients so that you can enjoy the food in a healthy and safe way. Here, it is important to consider the amount of servings. If you have limited options, take some, but try not to go overboard with the amount being served. Depending on the type of gathering, you may pick what suits you best. This is one of the great advantages of buffet types of meals. Usually, there are tons of options to pick from, and you don’t have to eat everything being served, just what you like and that will be satisfying for you.

• Create different options and varieties

I recommend making as much options as possible, since this will make it easier for people to choose. Consider creating different side dishes, baked goods, salads, and desserts. Try to make things creative, tasty and simple. Sometimes, less is more. For things like sauces, you can make different varieties or, refer to switching up to healthier foods. Remember, you don’t need to serve in your plate all the sauces available, just pick one of them or just a few enough to garnish your foods.

Bottom line is…

Making healthy recipes for the holidays can happen. All you need to do is find some creativity and to take advantage of the fresh foods. Additionally, there are many ideas and recipes to choose from, so go for more variety and make healthy swaps here and there. And, remember that the most important part is to enjoy the gathering and festivities, with tasty foods. Share this information and let me know in the comments your thoughts. Hope you will be applying some of these tips!

Cheers!