Healthy Holiday SWAPS

Holidays are HERE and although it may seem like your doomed to gain some weight with all the extra goodies around, know that most people do NOT gain that much weight. What DOES happen is that you may gain 1-2 pounds BUT never lose it after the holidays. Over time, this can add up to a lot of unwanted weight and before you know it, that 1-2 pounds has turned into 5-10 pounds. NOOOOO! Lets avoid that.....

The BEST thing you can do for yourself during this time is portion control for those items that you HAVE TO HAVE and try and stay away from the unhealthy items. Keep it clean as often as you can but most of all, ENJOY what you are eating. Don't stress over eating that boring meal when what you really want is something a little more enjoyable that you really only have once a year. ENJOY it, portion control and move on with your day.

Here are 14 GREAT Holiday Food Tips and SWAPS that I like to use:

1. Watch those dips and go for something that is yogurt based OR make your own and bring it to the party.
2. Wine spritzers have way LESS calories than most alcoholic drinks; choose that instead.
3. Candied Yams are LOADED with sugar and unwanted calories; go for FRESH sweet potatoes that you can roast yourself.
4. Although the dark meat is oh so YUMMO, WHITE MEAT is better!
5. Homemade stuffing is not only fun {and EASY} to make BUT its healthier.
6. Traditional gravy can be VERY high in fat; swap out for low-fat OR just use a small amount.
7. Cranberry relish is better than cranberry sauce an its actually EASY to make using Stevia too.
8. Green Bean Casserole----> SO high in calorie content! Go with fresh green beans instead.
9. An easy way to lighten up those mashed potatoes is to use low-fat milk and Greek yogurt as additives.
10. Cauliflower is the new thing... you  can roast it, mash it, add it! Its a GREAT base to any side dish..
11. Anything white bread based could easily be swapped out with whole wheat.
12. Traditional eggnog is ROUGH... and there are SO many options these days; including almond milk based and even Vegan!
13. Apple pie is AMAZING but you can also BAKE fresh apples, top with cinnamon, stevia and a dollop of whipped cream.
14. Pumpkin Pie is better than Pecan Pie!

In the end, tis the season to enjoy with family and friends! We may get overloaded with work and family and traveling and FOOD but it goes by SOOOOOO fast... ENJOY IT!