We recently analyzed the typical menu for holiday meals and it came in at over 3,800 calories. Both of these menus have it all: flavor, comfort foods and they’re guaranteed to fill you up. The Traditional Menu is only 941 calories (and that’s if you eat FULL servings of everything) and the Non-Traditional is 903 calories. More calories than one might want for dinner, but hey, you’ve been good, right? There are times to splurge. Two Holiday Menus

Featured Recipe

Olive and Caper Meatballs with Snap Peas | Low Sodium Version

The savory beef goes perfectly with the capers and olives and the best part is that this is so simple. Mix the meatballs. Pop in the oven. Serve.

My column a couple of weeks ago, about being prepared for the cocktail or holiday party, resulted in a lot of questions about alcohol and drinking. While we know that drinking can be beneficial, it can also cause many health issues. About 2 drinks a day on average for men and 1 per day for women has been shown to be favorable, but binge drinking can cause more health problems than balanced consumption.

The key is moderation. That may be a challenge and parties can be a place that tips the balance. When heading out for that party it helps to understand a little about what you are going to consume. For instance, there are a lot of things that affect alcohol absorption. Being Careful with Alcohol

Featured Recipes

Rosemary Turkey Skewers

These skewers are perfect for a weeknight meal. They take about 10 minutes to prep and will keep for about 48 hours marinating in the refrigerator. After that they only take about 15 minutes to cook.

Cranberry Glaze

This sauce is great served over turkey or roast pork for your holiday meal, but you don’t have to wait for the holidays to have cranberry sauce.

Wild Rice with Cranberries

This is the perfect recipe for holiday meals. The savory mushrooms and wild rice combine with the sweet cranberries to hit all the taste buds. Serve this with holiday turkey or roast pork tenderloin.

After every holiday I always have patients who put on some weight when they had been trying to take it off. While they blame the holiday, it’s clear that it’s not just overeating. The problem is that when they splurged on the holiday the whole idea of eating healthier went out the window. Eating well and eating healthy means there are times when you overeat – and allowing yourself to do so. It’s part of life, and it’s really good for you, in my opinion. The challenge of holidays is to think of them as a time to splurge on eating delicious food – not junk. This means planning.

Planning is the single most important you can do to eat healthier. Most people plan their holiday meals, and I bet you already have a good idea of what the menu will be for the Fourth of July. As part of eating healthier, plan that menu with better choices. Here are some guidelines.

Featured Recipes

Shrimp with Chili Lime Butter

Shrimp is great because it’s just so darn quick. Recipes like this one are perfect for a weeknight. Mix up some yummy butter, put a bit of olive oil in a pan, saute and add the butter. Serve this with Mexican Rice and there’s enough sauce to add some extra zing to the rice.

Mexican Rice | Low Sodium Version

This is a perfect recipe for those who think that they don’t like brown rice. Cooking the rice a little bit longer will soften the brown rice, and adding the spices only enhances the nutty flavor. It’s perfect for your family – they may never know that it’s brown rice.

While it’s easy to know which is which when you’re following a structured plan like The Real World Diet, most people don’t consciously plan their meals. When you buy a 400-calorie package of cookies from the vending machine or eat a plate of finger foods at a company cocktail party, do you consider those “snacks” or “meals”? You might eat more later if you’ve mentally tagged that food a “snack.” Is It a Meal, or Is It a Snack?

Dr. Tim Says….

It’s holiday time, and that means food. I believe that you should splurge on holidays, but at the same time it’s just as easy to not overdo it as it is to eat everything in your path. One of the toughest places for people to stick to healthy eating habits is parties.

They can be a real pitfall, because many times we go to those parties at the end of the day, and the buffet table, with all those different choices, greets us with our empty stomach. Eat a little something before you go. Cut up an apple or have a handful of nuts and eat them before you go. Here are a few ideas to help you eat well and eat healthy at the holidays.

Holiday Menu

Shiitaki and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin

Shredded Brussels Sprouts or Green Beans Almondine

Roasted Potatoes or Plain Mashed Potatoes

and for Dessert….
Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Happy Holidays from all of us at Dr. Gourmet!

Brussels Sprouts

The rule of thumb for this tiny member of the cabbage family is to buy small ones and buy them as fresh as possible. Even though they look like little cabbages, they actually grow off the sides of a thick stalk and can be found in the market this way now (and if you do, buy them).

Try to use them the day that they are purchased, as there is less time for them to develop a bitter flavor.

There’s a lot of fiber in these little guys. Each serving has almost five grams.

4 ounces brussels sprouts = 49 calories, 0 fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono fat, 4g protein, 10g carbohydrates, 28mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol

Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet

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