I'm a Dietitian & I Never Eat These 5 Unhealthy Holiday Foods

I’m a Dietitian & I Never Eat These 5 Unhealthy Holiday Foods | XpertsReviews.com

The streets are sparkling with twinkling lights, the stores are bursting with gift ideas, and the grocery store aisles are full of holiday baking and cooking essentials—it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

But with the holiday season comes a wave of rich, indulgent, high-calorie meals, drinks and desserts, making it difficult to stick to a balanced diet. Don’t worry, I’m not here to play the Grinch and tell you to avoid all your holiday favorites. You can definitely enjoy it in moderation without long-term effects on your health. That said, eating Grandma’s holiday cookies with a cup of spiked eggnog every night in December isn’t the healthiest decision.

As a dietitian, there are a few popular holiday foods that I personally avoid. If these are your favorites, that’s okay—just enjoy them mindfully, watch your portions, and balance them out with healthier choices. Below, I’ve outlined five holiday foods I’m skipping and how you can get through this holiday season a little healthier. Read on, and for more ways to be healthier this season, don’t miss 5 Delicious Holiday Recipes Under 500 Calories That Won’t Derail Your Weight Loss.

Holiday Cookies

tray of gingerbread christmas cookies
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Holiday cookies seem endless this time of year, and I admit it: There’s nothing like a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. If you’ve ever received a box of cookies or stood around the dessert table long enough, you know how hard it is to eat just one.

However, crushing multiple cookies in one go may tip you off the recommended daily amount for added sugar And saturated fatsleading to spikes in blood sugar and putting your cholesterol levels at risk.

Most cookies are made with butter, sugar and refined flour, ingredients with little nutritional value. Additionally, many cookies are so large that they contain multiple servings, for example: Crumbled cookies pack between 600 and 800 calories per cookie.

To keep it healthier, watch portion sizes. If you like to cook, consider cutting back on sugar by a third party (you won’t notice much difference) and replace the butter with healthier fats like canola oil or nut butter. You can also use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour for more nutrients and fiber.

The 25 Unhealthiest Cookies in America

Eggnog

White Christmas Eggnog with Cinnamon StickWhite Christmas Eggnog with Cinnamon Stick
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One drink that always comes back after an 11-month hibernation is eggnog. This sweet, thick, classic holiday drink contains milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and sometimes a little alcohol like rum or brandy.

But eggnog contains a large amount of empty calories and contains almost as many calories as a meal. A one cup serving contains 400 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat and 48 grams of sugar. It’s also high in saturated fat and contains almost a day’s worth of added sugar.

Eggnog is also made with raw egg yolkswhich can increase the risk of contracting a foodborne illness. Finally, if your eggnog carton or recipe also contains alcohol, that’s another source of empty calories.

Enjoy eggnog in moderation by keeping portions small and making sure your recipe or store-bought version uses pasteurized eggs to stay safe.

I tried 5 store bought eggnogs and the best was light and nutty

Bacon Wrapped Appetizers

plate of bacon-wrapped scallopsplate of bacon-wrapped scallops
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Bacon often makes an appearance on the holiday table, whether enjoyed at breakfast or wrapped around appetizers like around mini hot dogs, aka pigs in a blanket. You might also see bacon wrapped around a piece of cheese, a buttery croissant, or a piece of fruit.

However, bacon is very high in fat and is not healthy. If you’ve ever cooked bacon, you’ve probably seen how much oil ends up in the pan. A 3 ounce serving of bacon contains nearly 400 calories, 30 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat and 1,430 milligrams of sodium. In addition to its heart-unhealthy fat content, bacon also contains a high amount of sodium, which can be worrisome for your health. blood pressure. Now, if your slice of bacon is wrapped around a hot dog, a piece of cheese or a croissant, as you might assume, the calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium continue to increase. ‘increase. For example, a pig in a blanket contains 264 calories, 17.7 grams of total fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates and 602 milligrams of sodium.

If you like bacon, I recommend sticking to one or two slices and avoiding the hot dog, cheese, or croissant around it.

Fake

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Often packaged with a bow, fudge is another popular sweet treat given by many and enjoyed during the holiday season. From peanut butter swirled fudge to crushed candy canes on top, there are countless variations.

You might think that fudge is chocolate based and therefore healthy, right? Well, technically fudge is mostly made from sugar, cream or milk, butter. So if you eat a few squares, you could quickly reach your discretionary calorie limit for the day, because an ounce of fudge contains 123 calories, 3.8 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar. And because it’s full of sugar and fat, it provides you with very few nutrients.

So control fudge portion sizes and consider breaking off a piece of dark chocolate instead to satisfy a chocolate craving.

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Pecan pie

pecan piepecan pie
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No shame in pecans, they’re a heart-healthy nut packed with a trio of health-promoting nutrients: unsaturated fat, dietary fiber, and protein. However, when you mix them with pie filling loaded with butter, sugar, a liquid sweetener like corn syrup or molasses, a single slice of pecan pie can contain as many calories as an entire meal .

A slice of pecan pie contains 541 calories, 22.2 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 79 grams of total carbohydrates and 33.5 grams of sugar. To make matters worse, it’s housed in a refined, buttery flour crust and often topped with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, making it a calorie bomb of a dessert.

If pecan pie is your favorite holiday dish, cut yourself a small slice and consider skipping the extra toppings to control discretionary calories.

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