Tips for making your holiday meals healthier (2024)

FAQs

How can you maintain healthy eating habits during holidays? ›

Flavour cooked vegetables with herbs instead of butter or oil. Replace some meat in dishes such as shepherd's pie, casseroles and lasagne, with vegetables and pulses (peas, beans and lentils). It is a great way to disguise vegetables for those fussy eaters.

Mix and match the food groups for more variety on your plate. Break your meal into parts. Think of your plate like it has 4 parts: 1 part for whole grain foods, 2 parts for vegetables and fruits, and 1 part for proteins. With this method, half your plate will include vegetables and fruits.

One thing to look for is the amount of fibre the meal contains. We need around 30g a day, so if you can't find a high fibre ready meal, stir some fresh veg into a microwaved meal instead. Sonal says: “Add a side of fresh vegetables or salad to make the meal healthier.

In many cases, favourite recipes can be modified so they have a lower fat content. Choose to steam, bake, grill, braise, boil or microwave your foods, rather than deep fry them. Use non-stick cookware. Microwave or steam your vegetables instead of boiling them to retain the nutrients.

Make most of your meal vegetables and fruits – ½ of your plate. Aim for color and variety, and remember that potatoes don't count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar. Go for whole grains – ¼ of your plate.

"Healthy Food” Defined

Healthy foods are those that provide you with the nutrients you need to sustain your body's well-being and retain energy. Water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals are the key nutrients that make up a healthy, balanced diet.

How to plan and cook healthy meals? ›

Come Up with a Weekly Game Plan

Plan to have most dinner plates follow a balanced model, like MyPlate: one-quarter of the plate goes to whole grains, one-quarter to lean protein, and half to fruits and veggies. Collect healthy recipes online or from cookbooks and magazines and keep them in a binder or folder.

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit: They are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein and antioxidants. People with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Make workouts a part of your holiday itinerary.

If finding time for exercise feels overwhelming, keep your workouts short. Any form of movement is better than nothing, and there's always time in the day for a few minutes of exercise — even if it's just a five-minute stretch or a quick core routine.

Treat yourself – but not too much

It's about having an 80:20 rule, where you eat healthily 80 per cent of the time. Allow yourself the occasional treat, but think about the fruit and veg you enjoy, and eat more of those. “Make choices about what you're eating, rather than it happening on autopilot,” says Dr Hibberd.

Plan in advance by making a grocery list before you go to the store, and stick to it. While listing what you need, check out what you already have in the pantry, the fridge, and the freezer. Resist the urge to over-prepare big quantities of food; focus on preparing just enough. Store food correctly.