by Neil Licht

Created on: July 28, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Healthy and "Holiday Eating" can actually be synonyms.

No I'm not going to say cut calories, cut volume, diet, cut tradition, just approach holiday eating a little differently than usual.

Here's a few tips that will make enjoying eating healthy at holiday times something you actually can't wait to do.

1. Know your own dietary restrictions and then plan accordingly. For instance, a diabetic can eat lots of great food if you "assemble" your meals so the total carbs stay within your "totals" for daily intake. Its a matter of knowing the "counts" so to speak and then picking out what you enjoy with the "counts" in mind. Take a list of food groups with you in your wallet with their counts and you can refer to it as your eating and shopping guide. Compromising away from a great holiday meal, if you use that information, will not be something you need to do

2. Eating In
If you are hosting holiday meals, shop at supermarkets that understand and specialize in how to create a healthy meal for any occaision. Grocers like Whole Foods, Trader Joes and others like them specialize in a healthier lifestyle so why not let their expertise go to work for you at holiday time. Meats, dressings, snacks, cookies, nearly anything can be sourced there but in a less "cholesterol" or "Fatty" or "preservative" intsense form.

They can also show you how best to prepare the meals and how to use the right ingredients so guests love the taistes, get "full" but not bloated.You will pay a little more but isn't healthy eating at holiday time worth a little more. Think of it as giving yourself a holiday gift that lasts a lifetime.

3. Eating out. Using a heading like "healthy holiday dining out" research different types of restaurants on line. This yields new and interesting places to dine out at holiday time while enjoying both a healthy and often very different meal from the usual fare. It can also yield a list for non-holiday times that you can go to. Healthy eating sin't restricted only to holiday time is it! Today's restaurants have seen this trend and offer their version of a healthy choice with many selections on their menus

4. Eating the Traditional Holiday food. If you decide to be traditional, say Turkey at thanksgiving, use the internet and the grocery specialty stores again to find preparation methods and accompanying foods that are traditional but can deliver a lot less fats, calories and sugars than what you normally use. Taiste isn't compromised nor is Tradition but more so, neither is healty eating. In other words, just because its a healthy cracker doesn't mean it will taist like a cardboard cracker.

So, Its fairly simple to make the words "Healthy" and "Holiday eating" can synonyms. Please try any or all of these 4 tips and "enjoy". It may actually become a year round habit for you if you do so.

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