Professionals offer ideas for healthier holiday feast | The Sierra Vista Herald
By Dana Cole
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — We all do it. Overindulging seems to go hand-in-hand with holiday festivities.
While everyone should enjoy the season, instead of filling up on fattening stuffing, gravy, desserts and calorie rich drinks, there are healthy alternatives that please the palate without packing on extra pounds.
“A traditional holiday feast doesn’t have to be fattening,” asserts Kara Harris, who is a motivational speaker and weight loss coach contracted with Chiricahua Community Health Centers.
Harris started losing weight three years ago when she joined Weight Watchers. She lost 55 pounds and has maintained her weight through healthy lifestyle changes that include eating right and regular exercise. Now a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, she has met her weight loss goal and managed to maintain her desired weight.
“Once I got started, I never looked back,” Harris said. “My whole approach is staying healthy by eating right and sticking with an exercise program. There are so many things you can do to eat healthier and still enjoy great food. Meals don’t have to be loaded with fattening things to taste good.”
Helping others
As part of her work with Chiricahua Community Health Centers, every week Harris drives to Douglas where she holds a class designed to help people who are struggling with weight issues.
Aida Caraveo has been attending the classes since May, and has lost 14 pounds. “Kara’s classes are very motivational and have helped me stay on track,” said Caraveo, whose goal is to lose 20 more pounds.
“But this isn’t just about weight loss. She’s a very caring person and really wants to help us. We have her phone number and her e-mail address and she is always willing to talk to us if we have questions or need some encouragement.”
Caraveo says that Harris is a “great cook” and makes different low calorie snacks for them, which she brings to the meetings for everyone to try.
“I make low-fat, low-calorie dishes at my house and take them to the meetings, along with the recipes,” Harris said. “My goal is to equip people with common sense methods they can use to help them lose weight and keep it off.”
Healthy alternatives
During the holiday season, Harris believes everyone should enjoy the food and forget about trying to lose weight.
She does, however, encourage maintaining weight rather than gaining, and suggests incorporating healthy alternatives into favorite recipes.
One idea is to make pumpkin pie with evaporated skim milk, brown sugar Splenda and egg whites or egg substitutes, instead of the traditional, high calorie ingredients.
“These are simple steps that will reduce the sugar, as well as the fat and caloric intake,” Harris said. “And you really don’t lose any flavor.”
While entertaining for the holidays, she recommends setting out fruit and vegetable trays, using low-fat dips. Consider a fresh green salad as a meal starter, with low-fat dressings.
“If you must have chips and dips, use baked chips, along with low-fat dips or fresh, homemade salsa,” Harris said. “There are so many ways you can enjoy the traditional holiday meals without the traditional weight gain.”
Hospital offers dinner
Chef Evan Waters, the dietary manager at Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee, says the hospital is offering a Christmas dinner, which will fit into a healthy meal plan.
“We’re going to have ham for our Christmas dinner, which will go all day,” Waters said.
The key to healthy meal choices, Waters says, is to make sure meals are balanced. “We hear it all the time, but it’s really true. The proteins, carbohydrates, fat and fiber work together. I always try to provide a balanced meal. For Christmas, we’ll have a holiday themed meal with all the elements of a balanced diet.”
Like Harris, Waters believes it’s a good idea to eat wisely during the holiday season, but don’t set lofty weight loss goals.
“Trying to lose weight during the holidays is just setting yourself up for disaster,” he said. “I tell people to try to maintain your weight without gaining.”
Don’t skip meals before going to parties, he advises.
“Eat something healthy before you walk out the door, so when you get to the party you’re not starving,” Waters said. “And if you do slip and eat 5,000 calories, enjoy yourself. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Move forward and get back on track the next day.”
When people start feeling too guilty about overeating, they tend to backslide again. It becomes repeated behavior, Waters said. “And if it doesn’t stop, that’s when weight gain becomes a problem. So enjoy what you’ve eaten and move on.”
Drinks and exercise
Drinks are another high-calorie holiday temptation, one that can contribute to weight gain. “Think about what you’re drinking. The calories in eggnog and holiday punch can add up really fast. I tell people to gauge yourself by drinking water.”
He encourages people to get out and do something physical every day, even if it’s cold outside. “Little things like a brisk walk can make a big difference in how you feel and will go a long way in keeping you healthy.”
Go ahead and enjoy a steak, but skip the blue cheese dressing and butter.
“You’re getting your steak, but you don’t have to eat all the extra calories that go along with it.”
Seniors’ lunch
Copper Queen Community Hospital has a lunch program for low income seniors, offered seven days a week, every day of the year.
“I try to take some of the guess work out of eating healthy, but still provide good tasting meals,” Waters said. “When we cook, we don’t use any trans-fats and nearly everything we serve is made from scratch.”
A healthy holiday recipe idea that Waters offered is to take fresh yams and steam or bake them without using the sugar and marshmallows.
“If you plan to mash them, try flavoring them with chicken stock, or use half the butter that you would normally use. Another option is to take chopped walnuts and roll them in cinnamon and cloves and sprinkle the mixture on top of the yams.
Avoid processed foods
Waters advises families to avoid using processed foods as much as possible.
“Processed foods are just loaded with fat, sugar and salt,” he warned.
“When you cook from scratch, you’re conscious of what goes into your meal, so you control the amounts of salt and fat that you’re using.
Cooking your own meals from scratch is just all around healthier for the whole family. It brings the family together in the kitchen, encourages healthier eating habits and the food is just so much better for you.”
Both Harris and Waters wish everyone a happy, healthy holiday season.