Heart Healthy Holidays
As we enter into the last few months of the year, there are so many delicious foods to enjoy! It can be challenging to find ways to eat heart-healthy while enjoying that favorite seasonal dish. Gather ideas for enjoying the holidays while keeping it heart healthy.
Important Education Takeaways
Practice mindful eating during the holiday season. Enjoy your favorite traditions with family and friends while being thoughtful about your food choices.
Pay attention to serving sizes, and your body’s hunger and fullness cues.
Be present with your activities at gatherings — especially when food is involved.
New information! Find helpful resources mindful and intuitive eating resources in our January 2024 highlights.
Focus on nutrient dense foods. Fill your body with foods that will actually help you feel full.
Meals should include foods with a good source of fiber: veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, and nuts & seeds.
Rich, salty, and sweet foods are common during holiday cooking. Enjoy these in moderation. The bonus recipe for this month is a great one to appease the sweet cravings — offering lots of creativity for flavors while being packed full of nutrients.
Check out this post from our Ask the RD blog on the best preparation methods for lentils.
Concerned about digestive issues around fiber? Learn about the fiber-rich foods and preparations to help lessen GI issues.
Find a balance that works for you. Make your health a priority while enjoying the festive seasons.
Stick to your priorities with your healthy food foundation so when the celebrations happen, you’re enjoying the time with those you’re around and the comforting holiday foods too.
Don’t skip your regular movement routines. These will aid in your digestion, burning off some of those extra calories, and benefit your mental wellbeing.
Recipes
Recipe of the month: Acorn Squash Shepherd’s Pie
As always, this recipe is the showcase of our live taught, virtual cooking class. Our chef and registered dietitian bring the recipe to life as they walk you through food prep, swaps to meet dietary or taste preferences, plus tips and tools to support you being your own healthy chef at home.
Bonus recipe: Dark Chocolate Date Bark
From Jamie’s kitchen to yours, our monthly bonus recipes are published on our website and social media the 4th Wednesday of each month. We invite you to browse our recipe collection and come back often to find more flavorful and heart-healthy recipes.
We invite you to join us for the live taught, virtual nutrition classes each month to gather more information on our nutrition topics. This is also an opportunity to ask topic-related questions of our experts as well as connect socially with attendees for idea sharing. As a registered participant for our In the Kitchen program, you receive a few reminders ahead of each scheduled monthly classes, but here’s an easy to remember schedule: Nutrition Education (30-minutes, 2nd Wednesday, 12pm), Cooking Class (up to 60-minutes, 3rd Monday, 12pm).
Contributing authors: Jamie Libera, RD, LD, CCTD, registered dietitian, Providence.