Health Watch by Sherry Mullenix

The North Jefferson News



As the kids are running around asking, “Have I been naughty or nice this year,” the same thing can be said about the foods we eat during the holidays.

The old tale about Americans gaining five pounds during the holidays is true for some individuals, but according to The New England Journal of Medicine, most individuals gain about a pound.

But, that’s no reason to eat with wild abandon during the holidays. A pound a year may not sound like much, if you do nothing the rest of the year to take it off, it adds up.

The key is to minimize the damage of the holiday foods, and have fun at the same time. Eating regular meals and snacking every day makes it easier to resist overdoing it at festive events. When you skip a meal due to shopping, wrapping or preparing food before a holiday gathering, you tend to eat more when food is available.

When at the gathering, pile your plate with lower-fat foods to limit the high-calorie splurges. Some good suggested items would include:

• Whole grains, such as whole wheat rolls, wild rice dishes

• Shrimp, lobster or other steamed seafood

• Plain or lightly dressed vegetables

• Meat and poultry without the gravy

• Salads with a light dressing

• Fresh fruits

Lower-fat foods are a good choice no matter what time of the year, and many holiday foods that people think they should avoid are actually healthy in small amounts:

• Applesauce and apples: Look for unsweetened applesauce to get the fiber without the sugar. Baked apples with the skin are loaded with a potent flavonoid called quercitin, which helps prevent heart disease

• Cheese: Hard cheeses contain the most bone-building calcium and protein

• Cranberry sauce (unsweetened): Cranberries are really trouble for the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. If you like sweetened cranberries, use a little sugar or better yet an artificial sweetener

• Dark chocolate: Seventy percent of dark chocolate contains the most flavonols, a helpful substance that decreases cholesterol

• Green beans: Naturally low in calories, green beans are loaded with Vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C and A. It’s the cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions that cause you the problems here. Try them lightly tossed with olive oil and lemon.

• Nuts: These little jewels are chock-full of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

• Pumpkin pie: This orange delight contains carotenoids for making Vitamin A in the body and fighting free radicals. It’s also a good source of potassium. But watch out for that whipped topping.

• Yams/sweet potatoes: Carotenoids, potassium, vitamin C, and fiber, these guys have it all, but baking them in a sea of brown sugar changes the picture. Try an artificial sweetener for the taste without the calories.



Be nice not naughty with holiday foods

Depriving yourself of holiday treats can backfire and make you crave them even more.

Pick what you want to splurge on rather than mindless nibbling on any holiday treat that comes your way. Knowing the calorie counts can sometimes stop you from adding that ladle of gravy, or second piece of cheesecake. Here are some examples:

• Gravy, (1 cup): 47 calories

• Pecan pie (1 slice): 503 calories

• Pumpkin pie (1 slice): 204 calories

• Cheesecake (1 slice: 257 calories

• Cheddar cheese (1 ounce): 114 calories

• Snack chips (1 ounce): 138 calories

• Sugar cookies (2 small): 132 calories

• Hershey kisses (only 9): 230 calories

• Fudge (1 ounce): 140 calories

• Stuffing (1/2 cup): 179 calories

• Mashed potatoes (1 cup): 238 calories

While the buffet table is groaning under the weight of these holiday goodies, foods are not the only concern in packing on the pounds. Alternate alcoholic beverages with calorie-free drinks such as water or diet soda. Most likely you’ll feel better the next day, and take on a lot less calories.

• White Russian (8 ounce): 715 calories

• Egg nog with alcohol (1 cup): 360 calories

• Gin and tonic (8 ounces): 192 calories

• Rum (1.5 ounces): 116 calories

Once you’ve finished with the holiday meal, another potential downfall is snacking. Here are a few suggestions to help you avoid this:

• Sit far from the buffet table, candy dishes and cookie platters

• Excuse yourself from the dinner table after you’re finished eating

• Keep your mouth busy talking to family and friends instead of chewing

• Chew gum or eat a sugarless mint to prevent additional snack grazing

• If you’re able, brush your teeth — the taste of the toothpaste dulls your taste buds

While holiday meals are always fun, they don’t have to be damaging. Using common sense and just thinking about what you’re doing and not mindless nibbling, can really brighten up the holidays in more ways than one.

Sherry Mullenix (J.D., R.N.) co-owns The Pharmacy in Mount Olive with her husband, Steve Mullenix (R.Ph). They can be reached at 631-1201.