Guest Post by Miriam Shatzkes, MS, RD from Dietnomics. The Holidays bring excitement and many social gatherings. Along with all the hoopla, the Holiday season brings many ups and downs with our diets. Many of us are thrown off of our normal diets and we quickly go from maintaining our normal weight to seeing a weight gain. It is important to make sure we balance our weight with the desire to want to celebrate in all of the festivities that the Holidays bring. This includes being conscious of the way we cook our meals to the way we eat through the Holiday season. When cooking your meals for the Holidays there are many substitutions that can be used to decrease the amount of unwanted calories, and reduce the fat and salt content in your meals. This includes:

1. Going easy on the gravy and opting for canned cranberry sauce on your turkey for a nutritious and fat-free option.
2. Try baking quick breads with applesauce instead of butter or margarine.
3. Using cooking techniques such as baking and steaming versus frying, will help lower the fat content in your meals.
4. Replace some of the bread in your holiday stuffing with canned chestnuts, a nutritious and different alternative. And to lighten your stuffing and add valuable nutrients, mix in canned, chopped vegetables, too.
5. Substitute canned evaporated milk in recipes that call for cream. An easy way to make your holiday baking a little bit healthier, lower in calories and more nourishing.

No one said you can’t have a wonderful Holiday meal, but there are ways to modify the meal to make it healthier without losing the grandeur of the holiday spirit. Holiday meals are a joyous occasion and while we tend to sit around enjoying the company of our family and friends, many of us tend to continue eating when we aren’t hungry anymore. It is important to recognize when you are satiated and refrain from overeating. When you overeat your body retains many calories that you do not need and I am sure that you do not want. Be aware, and do not pick at food when you are sitting around talking at the dinner table. Knowing when you are full could be the biggest gift you can give to yourself over the holidays! Above all, enjoy this Holiday season but please remember that it takes a lot more time to get rid of the calories you consume. A great way to measure your progress is to weigh yourself up to twice a week throughout the Holiday season to watch for any weight gain. Be sure to watch what you eat and stay active throughout the holiday season! How are you maintaining your diet this Holiday Season? About the Author: Miriam is a Registered Dietitian who resides in NYC. Her focus is in weight loss, weight management and diet control.