Holiday food: NorthShore HealthSystems dietitian shares tips for accommodating tasty treats and good choices

As you reach for that second slice of rhubarb pie, consider this:

The average person gains only about 1.38 pounds over the holidays.

Outstanding news ... but not so fast.

“That doesn't sound so terrible up front, but as you can imagine, you don't lose that 1.38 pounds particularly as you get older,” said dietitian Rosemary Weaver.

Oh.

Weaver is a registered and licensed dietitian with Northwest Community Healthcare NorthShore HealthSystem. Bearing a master's degree in public health, she works out of Northwest Community Hospital and the NCH Wellness Center both in Arlington Heights.

She's come up with several helpful hints around holiday indulgence, or to at least help mitigate the effects of all that glorious food.

Planning

If one knows the big family meal is in their future, consider eating a lighter breakfast and lunch, and plan their timing.

Incorporate lean protein into meals, such as Greek yogurt or oatmeal with breakfast; salad greens with chicken, tuna or shrimp for lunch.

Weaver doesn't advocate skipping any meals. She advises no more than going five hours between meals.

With a longer delay between eating, Weaver said, “most people will get inordinately hungry — or ‘hangry' — and what will happen is we will be more likely to go toward foods that are higher in carbohydrates, or gravitate to appetizers and keep going,” she said.

Sounds about right.

Weaver said if there is a long delay before the ham comes out of the oven, eat an apple about 30 minutes before the big meal to take the edge off the hunger.

Stay hydrated

We hear it all the time. Most people should drink about 64 ounces of water, or about eight 8-ounce cups.

Staying hydrated can positively impact metabolism, and also “is great” in between alcoholic drinks, she said. It's important before, during and after meals.

Balance

Man cannot live on cinnamon toffee squares alone. The holidays present a tempting murderer's row of candy, cookies and appetizers that only the strongest wills can reject.

“If you forget about balance it's easy to eat calories that are not nutrient-dense foods,” Weaver said.

She admitted that it's quite an accomplishment, but she recommends people aim to consume half their meal in vegetables, or fruit if breakfast veggies aren't appealing.

She suggested a lunch of a vegetable, a bean soup sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and a baguette. For dinner she said fill half the plate with raw or cooked veggies, a quarter with a protein, and a quarter with a starch such as rice, pasta or a roll.

In 2017 the Centers for Disease Control noted a 2015 study which said only one in 10 Americans eat the recommended allotment of fruits or vegetables. That's 1½ to 2 cups of fruit daily, 2 to 3 cups of vegetables.

That would indeed be a major accomplishment for most people, but by keeping a balanced diet as a target it's at least a small step in the right direction.

A trade-off strategy

If heaping three ladles of sausage and cranberry nut stuffing onto your plate, also go for some green beans. Avoid combinations like stuffing plus homemade macaroni-and-cheese plus mashed potatoes.

Alternate a richer item with a lighter item that is still full of nutrients.

Is it worth it?

This incorporates a different form of planning, kind of a scouting mission-slash strategy session.

Check out the offerings, the menu, the dessert table or appetizer buffet. Make choices and when presented with bountiful options “narrow it down to the standouts,” Weaver said.

Is this your only crack at Auntie Barb's Million Dollar Cake? It's worth it.

Weaver said decadent offerings can certainly be split or taken in smaller portions, the key thing being not the amount eaten but how savory it is.

“Ultimately the decision to leave the table comfortably full is something that we can be proud of,” she said.

Walk it off

This doesn't have to do with eating, Weaver said, but with the aftermath. Taking a walk post-feast — or how about a dance? — rather than hibernating in the recliner aids digestion.

Food has become integral to the holidays, and despite those 1.38 pounds added during that period, her tips make sense all year long. She also noted that food is not the reason for the season.

“We just have to keep in mind that it's a part of the picture but not all of the picture, it's kind of the sideline,” she said.

“The main reason is family and friends and celebrating and being together. And food is just a part of what makes it a memory.”