9 Holiday Foods That Are Healthier Than You Think
Little about 2020 has been normal, and with the holidays approaching, it’s understandable that people want to celebrate in familiar ways. Yet to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that Americans take steps to keep loved ones safe and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The safest option is to limit holiday gatherings to people who are already part of your household, only virtually seeing friends and family members who don’t live with you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy those delightful holiday meals that help make the season special.
This time of year, health-conscious diners face a challenge: how to navigate creamy soups, rich meats, pies with delicious flaky crusts, and other fatty, salty, and sugary foods while enjoying the flavors of the season. “The holidays really can have adverse health effects beyond just weight gain,” says Jamie Cooper, PhD, professor at the University of Georgia in Athens, and director of the school’s UGA Obesity Initiative.
For example, in a 2013 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Cooper and her colleagues found that in addition to gaining about 2 pounds, on average, during the holidays, people experienced increases in body fat, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. And being active didn’t protect against those changes. “Even small increases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure can have a meaningful impact on health,” Cooper says.
As for the extra weight, evidence suggests that it sticks around. “Once you put it on,” Cooper says, “it’s hard to lose it.”
In addition, heavy meals can wreak havoc on your digestion—think diarrhea, heartburn, and gas—not to mention your heart. A study of almost 2,000 heart attack survivors suggested that eating a heavy meal could quadruple the risk of having a heart attack on the same day. A smaller study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that a single meal high in saturated fat could impair artery function.
But you don’t have to dine on steamed broccoli while everyone else feasts on turkey and stuffing. “Many of the foods on the holiday table are whole foods that are perfectly healthy,” says Randy Evans, RD, a nutrition consultant and former dietitian at the University of Kansas Health System. “It’s the way we prepare them and the sheer volume we eat that can be a problem.” Choose these healthy holiday food stars to dine wisely and well.
1. Turkey
It’s the best option among the traditional centerpieces. There are 168 calories and 2 grams of fat in a 4-ounce serving of breast meat without skin. (The skin adds about 50 calories and 6 grams of fat.)
Spiral ham is comparable in calories and fat but has more than 1,000 mg of sodium in 4 ounces. Ham is also a processed meat and contains nitrites and nitrates, which are potentially carcinogenic. Standing rib roast, meanwhile, has about twice the calories and 16 times the fat as turkey.
Some turkeys are injected with a saline solution to make them juicier, so check labels; they can have as much as 300 mg of sodium in 4 ounces.
2. Pumpkin
Pumpkin spice has been a long-standing holiday flavor trend in foods and beverages. That would be fine except that “spice” often means added sugars, not just nutmeg and cinnamon.
But pumpkin itself is a nutrition powerhouse high in fiber, vitamins A and C (important for vision and fighting infection), and antioxidants, and it has just 30 calories per cup. Whether you’re using it in a pie or a savory dish such as risotto or pasta, choose a fresh or frozen version, says Allison Sylvetsky Meni, PhD, an assistant professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
“If you’re opting for canned, make sure you read the label,” she adds. Look for 100 percent pure pumpkin, not pumpkin-pie filling. That has 120 calories and 27 grams of sugars in a half-cup—nearly 7 teaspoons—a vast majority of it added. And that’s even before it gets into the pie.
3. Sweet Potatoes
Another brightly hued vegetable that’s high in fiber, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants, sweet potatoes don’t need much to make them taste good. Just bake them with a little olive oil. Adding marshmallows, butter, and brown sugar ups the fat and calorie load significantly. There are 149 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugar in a half-cup of sweet potato casserole vs. 115 calories, 9 grams of sugar, and almost no fat in a medium sweet potato. Avoid canned varieties packed in heavy syrup.
4. Cranberries
Check the label on canned cranberry sauce and you’ll find more than 20 grams (5 teaspoons) of sugars in each quarter-cup serving. You could skip them, but these tart berries are high in fiber and rich in healthy plant compounds called polyphenols, some of which may improve your body’s ability to process glucose.
“You can make your own cranberry sauce, but you’ll still have to add some sugar just to make the taste tolerable,” Sylvetsky Meni says. “At least making it yourself will allow you to reduce the sugar content, perhaps by half, and not even notice it.”
You can also sweeten cranberries by making a cranberry sauce with apples or oranges.
5. Hot Cocoa
Credit the flavanols, good-for-you antioxidants that may improve blood vessel function, for cocoa’s spot in the “healthy” column. A 2013 study by Harvard University found that people not diagnosed with dementia (the average age of the participants was 73) who had impaired blood flow to the brain and who drank 2 cups of flavanol-rich hot cocoa daily for 30 days saw an improvement in the brain’s blood circulation and on memory tests. Forgo the instant mixes; make your own using unsweetened cocoa, low-fat milk (which adds calcium), and a teaspoon of sugar.
6. Shrimp Cocktail
Skip the cheese and crackers, and choose shrimp as an appetizer. Five large shrimp have only 33 calories and 6 grams of protein. Shrimp do have cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol doesn’t have a significant impact on your blood lipids, though experts once thought it did. And unlike many cholesterol-rich foods, shrimp is low in saturated fat, a type of fat that’s linked to heart disease risk. Shrimp also contain antioxidants, including selenium and astaxanthin. Note that cocktail sauce may contain high amounts of sodium.
7. Potatoes
It’s the way potatoes are served at holiday meals—loaded with butter or cream or doused in gravy—that makes them a less-than-optimal dietary choice, not the spuds themselves. One medium potato has 159 calories and 36 grams of carbohydrates—less than a cup of cooked pasta. Potatoes are packed with blood-pressure-lowering potassium and fiber, and also supply magnesium, iron, and vitamin C.
If your holiday table isn’t complete without a bowl of mashed potatoes, lighten them up. Start by using Yukon gold potatoes, which have a slightly buttery flavor on their own. Use milk or Greek nonfat yogurt instead of cream, and cut back on the butter. Or try roasted potatoes sprinkled with rosemary for a change of pace.
8. Nuts
It’s the time of year when fresh nuts in the shell are displayed in many supermarkets. Consider putting out a bowlful and a nut cracker as a predinner snack.
Nuts are rich in antioxidants and healthy fats. And nuts in the shell are time-consuming to eat—cracking them slows you down and may help you eat more mindfully.
9. Chestnuts
There’s a classic, holiday feel to chestnuts—especially roasted over a fire—and there are nutritional benefits to these holiday treats as well.
When compared with other nuts and seeds, such as almonds, chestnuts don’t have the same levels of healthy fats or protein. But they’re still a good source of dietary fiber, magnesium, heart-healthy folate, vitamin C, and potassium, which can help control blood pressure.
You can try scoring an “X” into them with a knife and then either roasting them in the oven or boiling them to add to a soup.
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Makes 8 servings
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
1 can (12 fl. oz.) fat-free evaporated milk
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg plus 2 egg whites from large eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 ginger snap cookies, crushed
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch glass pie pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until well-blended.
3. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the filling jiggles like gelatin when the plate is gently moved.
4. Cool completely. Right before serving, sprinkle with crushed ginger snaps.
Per serving: 130 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 21 g sugars, 80 mg sodium
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Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since it first appeared in the December 2017 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.
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