The holiday season is filled with hearty feasts and time spent with friends and family—it can seem like there is always a delicious meal to enjoy throughout November and December.
Many American dishes, sides, and desserts are mouthwatering because they are packed with fats, carbs, sodium, and calories. This combination is great for the taste buds but problematic for promoting heart health and overall bodily health.
If you’re concerned about your heart or want to stick to healthier foods for your heart and physical health this holiday season, it can be difficult to navigate each meal or food-focused get-together. After all, you still want to enjoy the foods you’re eating!
Don’t miss out on the festivities this season—instead, take a look at our suggested dishes to prioritize and a few tips to stick to your goals during the holidays.
Heart-Healthy Holiday Dishes – The Meats
Let’s start with the stars of each show: the meats. The holidays tend to include a range of meat options, from classic roasted turkey to ham, prime rib, fried chicken, meatballs, sausages, deep-fried turkey, and others.
When you want to keep your plate on the heart-healthy side, reach for choices like:
Roasted Turkey
Roasted turkey is a fantastic food to add to your plate. Why? Because it’s:
- Low carb
- Low fat
- Low calorie
- High protein
- High in good cholesterol
Plus, turkey has a low glycemic index, so your blood sugar doesn’t spike too much after eating it.
Salmon or Other Non-Fried Fish
If your holiday feast includes a salmon or another fish dish that isn’t fried, give it a try! Salmon especially is high in things like:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Protein
- B-12 and other vitamins
Plus, salmon and other fish are lower-calorie options than other meats on the table!
Grilled or Roasted Chicken
Much like turkey, grilled or roasted chicken is a healthy choice, as it’s:
- High in protein
- High in beneficial vitamins
- Lower in calories
- Lower in fats
Holiday meat tips:
- Choose white meats for a slightly healthier meal.
- Remove any skin before eating.
- Control your portions.
- Go easy on traditional gravy or high-calorie juices. Avoid them altogether for the healthiest option.
- Avoid or limit any fried foods or options that are fattier in content.
Heart-Healthy Holiday Dishes: The Sides
Eating veggies, fruits, and salads is a crucial part of boosting your heart health. But if you’re from the South, you know that almost all side dishes are considered “veggies,” even the mac and cheese. And if you’re from the Midwest, you know that anything can make a “salad,” even candy bars and marshmallows.
When evaluating what sides to add to your plate, consider these options:
Limited-Ingredient Vegetable Dishes
Oftentimes, holiday veggies come in the form of casseroles or souffles that are high in calories, sodium, carbs, or fat. Instead of loading up on these choices, look for options like:
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Cooked carrots
- Sauteed green beans
- Baked or roasted potatoes
Any veggie dish that focuses on the vegetable(s) and contains a limited amount of healthy (or healthier) additional ingredients is worth trying.
Limited-Ingredient Fruit Dishes
Just like the veggies, fruit dishes can either be chock full of high-calorie, high-carb, and high-fat ingredients, or they can contain a limited amount of additional ingredients that are friendlier to the heart. Rather than reaching for something that might as well be a dessert, try options like:
- Limited-sugar stewed or roasted apples
- Limited-sugar cranberry sauce
- Fruit salad
If there aren’t many heart-healthy fruit options on the table, that’s okay! You can skip over them and move on to a side that is a little healthier but just as delicious.
Salads
There are a million and one ways to make a salad. And as we mentioned earlier, some of the “salads” out there contain unconventional ingredients, like the Snickers salad that includes chopped Snickers candy bars and pudding.
When choosing from your salad options, reach for the ones that are mostly fruits or veggies, like:
- Berry salads
- Broccoli salads
- Carrot salads
- Chopped salads
- Cucumber salads
- Spinach salads
If it’s primarily made with fruits, veggies, or both and contains minimal amounts of high-calorie or high-fat ingredients, give it a try!
Holiday side tips:
- Avoid or limit your intake of sides made with cream or mayonnaise.
- Avoid or limit your intake of sides that include large amounts of cheese.
- Avoid or limit your intake of sides that are heavy on pasta or bread.
- With so many side options, it can be easy to overdo it; be mindful of your portions.
Heart-Healthy Holiday Dishes: The Desserts
The dessert table is usually packed with gorgeous cakes, pies, trifles, cookies, brownies, and everything else that is generally considered heart-harmful. It’s rare to come across a dessert that is naturally low in calories, fats, and carbs. If you have a sweet tooth and want to enjoy a tasty after-meal treat, consider bringing your own dessert to the party, like:
- Dark-Chocolate-Covered Banana Pieces (recipe)
- Chia pudding (recipe)
- Date-Based “Snickers” (recipe)
- Sugar-Free Apple Pie (recipe)
- Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies (recipe)
Holiday dessert tips:
- If there aren’t many heart-friendly desserts on the table, look for some fruit-heavy sides.
- Just like with everything else, be mindful of your portions.
Want more advice for navigating the holidays and choosing heart-healthy foods this season? Talk to the team at Middle Georgia Heart.
Our heart doctors are here to help you protect your heart health with the tips, advice, and services you’re looking for. We understand how difficult it can be to avoid certain foods throughout the holidays, but let our team provide the information you need to stay consistently healthy no matter how many holiday events you attend.
If you would like to partner with Middle Georgia’s best cardiologists, schedule an appointment with Middle Georgia Heart today: 478-207-5224
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