Eating plenty of fruits and veggies and focusing on presentation can help ensure you get plenty of nutrients this holiday season. Sponsored by Premera Blue Cross.
SEATTLE — Though the holidays are often a time to indulge, you can make a few changes to your meals to make them healthier while keeping them festive.
Eat with your eyes: This means making sure things look appetizing, so you fully enjoy your food. Visual cues help create healthy eating behaviors.
“It also helps us to slow down and really enjoy the effort we put into it,” said Heidi Beer, lifestyle medicine and wellness coach, Kinwell Health.
Add spices: You can avoid too much salt or sugar by using natural sweeteners, herbs and spices for flavor.
“Pick some things that you already enjoy and really highlight the dish with those,” Beer said.
Think veggies: Vegetables are high in fiber and are packed with nutrients. Eating a variety of different-colored vegetables, like beets, peas, carrots and mushrooms, can help you get a full range of vitamins.
Think fruits and berries: Use in-season fruits, like pears and apples, as well as frozen berries to help make your dishes more appealing and nutrient-dense.
“They just add a little more color, a little more depth,” Beer said.
Use all the colors: If you get in plenty of whole, high-fiber foods and eat the rainbow, you won’t have to worry about having enough macronutrients and micronutrients.
“I really like to simplify things,” Beer said. “I know that if I get enough color in, I’m getting all those nutrients in.”
Grill and bake instead of frying: Grilling and baking can eliminate the need for oils with high saturated fat or butter, or at least, you can use less.
“It brings out the vegetables,” Beer said. “It brings out the grain. It really brings out the mushrooms when we don’t coat them in butter or oil.”
Plating is everything: We eat with our eyes, so plate your meals with festive flair when hosting family and friends.
Make a mocktail: Try a cranberry spritzer with ginger, hot cocoa with coffee or an orange pear sparkling cider (with sparkling cider and orange slices).
“Get creative. Get fancy with it,” Beer said.
Making these simple swaps can keep you eating healthy and feeling good this holiday season. Find more resources on the Kinwell Health website.
Sponsored by Premera Blue Cross
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.
