By The United Supermarkets Dietitian Team
While holiday cooking can be the most fun, it can also be challenging when trying to create nutritious and tasty meals for the family. Show your loved ones care by creating meals that are not only good their soul but also their health. Try out these 5 better-for-you swaps that will boost your nutrition while keeping your meals delicious and fun!
Zero Sugar Vanilla Greek Yogurt VS Oil
Greek yogurt is packed with probiotics, the good bacteria that live in our gut and keep our immune and digestive system happy. Greek yogurt also has a great protein content. We love this because protein keeps us fuller for a longer time and promotes muscle growth and repair. Try using zero sugar vanilla greek yogurt to top your muffins, cookies, cake, or fresh baked goods of choice for less sugar, less calories, and more nutrition. You can also sub this for sugar and oil in some baking recipes.
Baked Apples VS Apple Pie
Baked apples are extremely delicious and easy to make! They are filled with fiber, vitamin C and are packed with phytonutrients (naturally occurring plant chemicals) that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The best apples for baking include: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Melrose, Cortland, Braeburn, and Jonagolds. Simply add your favorite nuts, cinnamon or favorite holiday spices, a bit of coconut oil, and bake. It doesn’t replace apple pie by any stretch, but it does lighten the calorie load a little bit!
Roasted Veggie Stuffing VS Traditional Stuffing
Dinner rolls, stuffing, biscuits and pastries are a favorite during holiday dinners, but the majority are high in sugar, fat, and are very easy to overeat. Swapping bread for roasted veggies is a great way to lighten the calorie load as well as increase the fiber content.
Cauliflower Mash VS Mashed Potatoes
No one’s gonna know! Mashed potatoes are an all time favorite, but are very easy to over indulge on. To limit the carbs and calories, try swapping potatoes for cauliflower as it is a very neutral veggie with a slightly earthy taste, but is rich in water, fiber, and antioxidants. It’s a great choice to bulk up any meal, and if you still want to enjoy some potatoes, you can do half potatoes and half cauliflower! Which in our opinion is the best of both worlds.
Low-Sugar or Sugar Free Beverages VS Alcohol
Alcohol is always fun and can totally be part of a healthy diet in moderation. However, alcohol can also be sneaky because it packs 7 calories for every 1 gram. You can lower the calories and added sugar in your alcoholic drinks by swapping the sugary mixers and syrups for healthy alternatives like Olipop sodas, seltzers, kombucha or muddled fruit in your water.
Festive Holiday Soup
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1, 20oz packaged cheese tortellini
2, 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 package spinach
8 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Add oil to a medium-high heat pot
2. Dice onion and add to pot to saute for 5 minutes
3. Mince garlic and add to pot to saute for 1 minute
4. Add in all the other ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes
