Foods To Avoid During The Holiday Season

22 Nov 2021

 Foods To Avoid During The Holiday Season.

 

Americans view gaining a couple of pounds of weight as a natural part of the holiday season. But the fact that this opinion is widespread does not mean that it is the right one. To avoid the weight problem caused by the holidays, residents of St. Louis (and the USA in general) have been turning to the holiday meals delivery service. With the healthy meal delivery plans/services available today, abstaining from unhealthy options is not a sacrifice at all. You can have healthy, low-carb, delicious dishes (vegan or not) cooked by professional chefs and delivered to your house whenever you want them, even on holidays! So there is no reason to sacrifice your waistline to appease the tastebuds. Meals provided by the delivery service are much healthier and more delicious than what you could cook at home. And, of course, it does not take up any of your time.

But if you still decide to cook up a feast by yourself (or go to someone else’s holiday party) you should be aware of the holiday foods that pose a danger to your wellbeing. Some food should not be indulged in even during the holiday season as it may cause health complications.

Below you will read about the foods you should stay away from (or at the very least consume in moderations) at all times. Not even the holidays provide a valid excuse to stuff ourselves with these products.

 

Turkey.

Don’t worry, it is just the skin that is the culprit here. You can have a serving of white turkey meat, that is fine, just make sure to remove the skin first. As crispy and delicious as it might be, it is also jam-packed with saturated fat. So if you give in to temptation and have the meat with the skin on your arteries will pay for it.

While we are on the subject of turkey, we must mention the stuffing as well. A single scoop of traditional bread and sausage stuffing contains a quarter of your daily recommended calorie allowance. Not to mention all the butter and fat that will clog up your arteries in the long run. There are a lot of recipes out there that teach how to make healthier stuffing alternatives, with wild rice, fruit, and even oysters!

 

Mashed potatoes.

We are taking a swing at another holiday classic that is bad for your health. Potatoes are high in calories already, and when we add all the butter, cream, and salt we make them even more unhealthy. But what can we do? You can’t have a holiday dinner without mashed potatoes, can you? Well, you could make a cauliflower puree that contains far fewer calories and tastes almost the same. But if you are a mash purist, and you must make it out of potatoes, then at least use low-fat milk instead of heavy cream and butter, you can add some low-sodium chicken stock for extra flavor as well.

 

Eggnog.

Eggnog is another holiday tradition that many health-conscious families choose to retire. The combination of alcohol, eggs, sugar, and whipping cream does no favors to your health. Other than being extremely high in calories (just one cup contains a whopping 350 of them) a cup of classic eggnog also contains a day’s worth of sugar and high levels of cholesterol. If you just have to have it to get into the mood for holidays then we suggest you look up some healthier eggnog recipes. They won’t be as damaging to your health as the traditional concoction grandma used to make.

 

Pecan pie.

Pecans are not the problem here; in fact, when eaten separately they provide us with an assortment of vitamins and minerals, and they contain a lot of healthy fats. It is the rest of the pie that you need to stay away from. Corn syrup, butter, and sugar (from which the traditional pecan pies are made) are not exactly known for their beneficial properties, are they? A single serving of this pie can contain as many as 500 calories! That is why we recommend staying away from this holiday classic altogether; just skip the whole pie-making process and nibble on a handful of pecans instead. If you can’t help yourself and you need to have some pie, then at least go for a very small slice, or opt for the pumpkin pie instead.

 

Pigs in a blanket.

High in fat - check, contains a lot of sodium - check, offers almost no nutritional value - check! Yes, unfortunately, your favorite pigs in a blanket also made it onto our naughty list. One of the worst things is that because they are so small people just casually snack on them throughout the day, not even paying attention to how many they have had. If you are not careful by the end of the day you might end up with a belly full of this fatty and unhealthy pastry without even realizing it.

If you want to have a snack between the meals there is a healthier alternative. You can slice persimmon into wedges wrap them into prosciutto and bake. The taste won’t be identical to the classic piggies, of course, but this healthy dish is delicious in its own right and much better for your heart and arteries.

 

Caramel popcorn.

Popcorn by itself is a perfectly acceptable snack, it is the caramel that can cause damage to your health. Caramel is pure sugar, and of course, added sugar must be avoided by all health-conscious people. Similar to the aforementioned pigs in blankets, the danger here lies in the amount you consume throughout the day. Very few people can just have a cup of popcorn and then stop. Most of us grab a giant bowl of it and just keep eating until our fingers reach the bottom. Holidays or not, a giant bowl of high-sugar snacks is a bad idea. So leave the caramel out and have some plain popcorn instead.

 

Sweet potato.

Sweet potato is another star of the show whose performance is ruined by the supporting characters. By itself, sweet potatoes contain potassium, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. But the butter, sugar, and marshmallows added to the casserole dish offset all of the benefits offered by this vegetable. But don’t worry! There is a way to reduce the fat content and the calories without sacrificing any of the taste! How? Simply leave out butter (or add as little of it as you can get away with), put half of the amount of sugar, and instead of the giant marshmallows o for the mini ones. And voila! Your favorite holiday dish is now healthier (or at least less harmful).

 

To conclude, even though it is the holiday season we should not forget about our health. Stuffing ourselves with unhealthy dishes (even for a few days) can have dire consequences on our bodies for the rest of our lives. This does not mean that you should be on a strict diet, just remember to practice self-discipline and consume food in moderation.