Baylor Nutrition Sciences Faculty Share Top Five Holiday Meal Tips
The hype around the holiday season is quickly growing—and so is our appetite for those classic holiday meals. The countdown has now begun to finally enjoy a bite of your mom’s green bean casserole, your uncle’s delicious homemade mashed potatoes, and your grandma’s infamous pecan pie. But with all these options for holiday foods, how do we enjoy a taste of everything without feeling that post-meal misery? Baylor University’s Nutrition Sciences faculty provided their top five meal tips to relish in the flavor of the holidays while maintaining a well-balanced, nutritious plate.
1. Nothing is off-limits.
While there are often food myths floating around about what foods to cut out, Stanley Wilfong, MS, RD, LD, FAND, Senior Lecturer and Program Coordinator for Nutrition Sciences, reframes that thought process—the important piece of maintaining healthy nutrition during the holidays is balance, and that doesn't mean missing out on your favorite foods. In fact, he said his biggest tip is just to “enjoy” the meal.
“People shouldn’t be afraid or think there are foods they shouldn’t eat. Instead, they should be enjoying the meal and celebrating the holidays—and eating good food is a part of that celebration,” Wilfong says. “No foods are healthy or unhealthy. There are only healthy and unhealthy diets.”
Leigh Greathouse,PhD, MPH, MS, RD, Associate Professor of Nutrition Sciences, echoes Wilfong, “There is a lot of hype around different eating styles. That shouldn’t even be on your mind as a part of your holidays.”
Both agreed that regardless of any holiday or celebration, a well-balanced, healthy plate should look the same. Yet, restricting foods on holidays is not the secret recipe for nutrition—instead it’s balance, moderation, and variety.
2. Moderation and portion size are key.
Most of us look forward to a variety of holiday foods and stacking our plate with our favorites, but according to Wilfong and Greathouse, moderation and portion size are key. Wilfong recommends using the free government-provided nutrition website, MyPlate.gov. It features a variety of helpful tips, including portion sizes and food group intake to create a well-balanced plate.
Wilfong suggests that one-half your plate should be fruits and vegetables, so pile on those green beans, carrots, and fresh fruit salads. Starches like potatoes fall under that category, but Wilfong recommends only one-half cup for a portion size. Instead, sweet potatoes may be your best option because they are nutrient-dense and filled with vitamin A, potassium, and vitamin C. Next, add on a little bit of protein—but not as much as you might think—because according to MyPlate, the suggested portion size of poultry is one ounce. That said, Wilfong states turkey is a great lean meat and full of nutrients, so still make sure to add it to your plate. The remainder of your plate should be filled with grains, which includes the classic stuffing, mac and cheese, and dinner rolls.
“Enjoy the holidays, and enjoy your favorite foods while keeping moderation in mind. Don’t eat until you’re miserable,” Wilfong says. “You can eat anything you want; after all, it’s only a few days a year. Once again, soak in your holiday meals.”
Amber Arnold, MS, RDN, LD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nutrition Sciences and Didactic Program Director, suggests that we also focus on eating mindfully and thankfully. This approach can not only enhance your experience but can also help you feel full sooner.
“The holidays are a perfect time to practice mindful eating—slow down and savor your food,” Arnold says. “Taste each bite as if you’re a wine connoisseur appreciating a fine vintage. Engage all your senses—smell, texture, flavor—and truly enjoy the meal.”
3. Find variety on your plate—but start with veggies.
On the same note of moderation, variety is an important piece of a nutritious and well-balanced plate. This shouldn’t just start during the holidays, but instead, should be an important part of your daily mindset about your diet.
We all know and dread that unfortunate post-meal bloat, but how and why does it happen? Bloating can refer to either fluid retention or excess gas in the intestines. Fluid retention can be be the result of extra sodium intake that causes the body to hold on to too much fluid, while excess gas can be due to maldigestion. While a half-plate portion size is suggested for fruits and vegetables, those items often contain more fiber. Digestive enzymes work to break down what you eat—but if you are eating a higher dosage of vegetables than normal, you could experience that excess gas and painful bloating. So, starting to add that variety to your plate ahead of the holidays is key to ensuring your digestive system is prepared to process that delicious holiday meal, especially the green bean casserole.
In addition, add a multitude of various nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods. Nutrient-density refers to the amount of nutrients per calorie in a particular food, while energy-density refers to the sugars and fats. Balancing those two categories is essential during a holiday meal. Pumpkin pie is a great example, with its combination of nutrient-dense filling made primarily of squash and outer crust made from more energy-dense foods like flour and sugar. For Greathouse, cranberry sauce and stuffing are the favorite nutrient-dense foods for the holidays.
“You can actually get a lot of nutrients depending on how you prepare your stuffing,” Greathouse says. “For example, adding celery, carrots, or other veggies can balance the energy-density of the grain and starch with the nutrient-density of the vegetables.”
If you draw only one conclusion from this piece, it's that vegetables are the keystone to balanced nutrition. When it comes to the best order for consuming your holiday meal, this pinnacle food group takes first place—and therefore, should be eaten first.
“If you fill up on the veggies first, you are less likely to overeat on the carbohydrates or starches. Those foods are more likely to spike your blood sugar, giving you that initial boost and then that low, tired feeling at the end of the meal that you typically want to avoid,” Greathouse shares.
Wilfong adds that the fiber in vegetables keeps food in your stomach longer, making you feel less hungry and less likely to overindulge throughout the meal.
4. Drink smart.
To aid in digestion, Arnold recommends using the "20/20" rule: drink 20 ounces of water 20 minutes before eating. This can help you feel fuller and assist your digestive enzymes in breaking down food by stimulating saliva and gastric juices. In addition, hydration can promote smoother digestion overall, which can help keep your gut microbiome healthy.
The type of beverage you choose to drink is also important. Arnold stresses that holiday meals aren’t just limited to what’s on the plate, but also what’s in your glass. Sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with higher blood pressure, insulin resistance, and also don’t fill you up as much as other drink choices in regards to their caloric density.
“Be mindful of beverages like sweet tea, punch, and cocktails—which can add 150 or more calories per cup,” Arnold says. “Instead, opt for water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea.”
5. Eat a hearty breakfast and increase activity throughout the day.
Finally, the Baylor Nutrition Sciences faculty agree that nutrition isn’t just limited to one holiday meal—but instead, the whole day. Greathouse says that you should create a strategy ahead of the holiday for how you will increase your activity or eat throughout the day before the big meal. She suggests starting with a hearty breakfast in the morning, ideally with more protein than carbohydrates. Next, eat throughout the day and don’t wait until the holiday meal to overindulge yourself. Nuts and seeds are calorically dense, but she said they help you stay full for longer. Also, fruits with the skins on them are a great snack as well.
Moreover, it’s important to increase activity both before and after the meal. You can counterbalance the increased intake of food with an increase in exercise. This can be a great opportunity to take a walk with family, schedule a workout class with your cousins, or convince your siblings to do a Turkey Trot or ring in the New Year with a run.
Overall, enjoying your holiday meal while keeping your health in mind comes down to maintaining balance while still getting a bite of all your favorites. Holidays are a time for celebration and community— and that often includes a meal.
Instead of worrying about making the perfect plate, soak in the moment and savor the flavor.