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 HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE
During the holidays,
"S" doesn't just stand for Santa, but for diet Saboteurs such as
Super-abundant high calorie food, Socially-sanctioned
over-indulgence and Stress. But by setting your sights on the
reasonable goal of weight maintenance, sticking to your exercise
schedule, keeping a positive attitude about setbacks and following a
few helpful tips, you can not only avoid the most common pitfalls,
but actually make this the most healthy holiday ever!
Good
news: You can forget the myth about Americans packing on five pounds
over the holidays. A new study reveals that average holiday weight
gain is much closer to one pound (to read the summary, click here). And since holiday heft accounts for
about half of yearly weight gain, if you make it through the
holidays you're already 50% ahead of the game!
Bad news: If
you gain and keep that pound, repeated performance year after year
will put you on the path of a health-threatening weight problem. And
the study showed that those participants who did gain five pounds
were those who already weighed too much. Here's some help in
avoiding temptation:
DO:
Fill up on raw veggies
Unwind with hot herbal tea (no calories, no fat)
Take a walk around the block until temptation passes
Feel free to just say "no" to parties that might be
pitfalls
DON'T:
Stuff with stuffing (1 cup = 360 calories)
Glug nog: With brandy, milk, sugar & raw egg, 5 oz. has more
than 200 calories
Think exercise is a license to overeat: A second's indulgence
can take an hour to burn
Indulge in Chunky Monkey ice cream (1/2 cup has 330
calories!)
Here are more ideas:
How to Navigate That Holiday
Buffet
Diet Solutions: The Holiday Party
Making This Holiday Season a Leaner
One
Menu Makeover: Christmas
(Though DNI
recommends you substitute fish -- like these two great salmon
recipes:
Maple Teriyaki Salmon
Charbroiled Salmon
(or see Nutrition
News below to try a vegetarian holiday menu!)
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 DIABETES -- ARE YOU AT RISK?
The jury may
still be out on TIME's "Person of the Year," but the verdict's in on
the health story of 2003: Diabetes. In an in-depth cover story, TIME
tackles the epidemic whose escalating rates are in part fueled by
rising rates of overweight and obesity. (Click here)
With 18 million Americans
suffering from diabetes -- and 1.3 million new cases diagnosed just
last year, it's important to be informed about risk factors and
prevention -- such as weight management, regular exercise and a
fiber-rich diet filled with fruits and vegetables.
Holidays
hold special challenges for people with diabetes, but with mindful
eating and moderation, this season's offerings can be satisfying and
healthy too. (Click here for tips)
A VERY VEGGIE CHRISTMAS
If the holidays hold
more opportunities to fall down on our food choices, they also hold
more opportunities to be good: gorgeous platters of crudites,
colorful vegetables cooked in delicious news ways, the fresh pick of
fruit baskets, seasonal berries -- not to mention lots of fun winter
activities that can burn calories when the cold sets
in.
Holiday foods that pack a health punch
include:
Pumpkin: A ½ cup serving provides 3 ½ times
the RDA of vitamin A and 3 ½ grams of fiber for only 41
calories.
Sweet potatoes: Ounce for ounce they deliver
as much beta-carotene as carrots. Plus they're potassium-rich and
high in vitamin C.
Brussels Sprouts: To get 80% of
your RDA of vitamin C (per 1/2 cup) try this combination of sprouts
with green grapes and white wine (click here)
Baked apples: Hold the
pie -- baked apples are only 102 calories per serving compared with
400 calories for a slice of apple pie. Not only are apples a good
source of vitamin C, but they also have soluble fiber called pectin
which helps lower blood cholesterol.
With such a cornucopia
of vegetables and fruits at the ready, it's a great time to up your
intake to at least 5 to 9 servings a day.
For more help in meeting your goals, Mayo Clinic
offers wonderful vegetarian menu ideas. Whether you're a vegan or
simply looking to reduce the amount of meat in your holiday meals,
this site offers substitutions, recipes and health information about
the plant-based diet.
Vegetarian Alternatives for Holidays
GET
OUT AND GET ACTIVE
What's the best way to burn calories,
beat stress and add variety to your exercise routine? Try
winterizing your workout by using the holidays to branch out and try
new cold weather sports, or simply turning time-of-year activities
like snow-shoveling or tree-trimming into opportunities to get a
rosy glow.
Did you know, for example, that the average person
engaged in the following activities for one hour can
burn:
Winter walking -- 270 calories
Downhill skiing --
400 calories
Cross country skiing -- 612 calories
Snow
shoveling -- 405 calories
Holiday dancing -- 600 calories
Building a snowman -- 250 calories
For more activities
and an individualized calorie expenditure calculator click here.
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 by Jennifer Grossman
MANY AMERICANS
DELUDING THEMSELVES ABOUT WEIGHT
We've heard it said so
many times we take it as a given. America is "obsessed with
thinness," we are told. But is that in fact true? A Gallup poll
released just last month indicates quite the opposite: For the most
part people are deluding themselves about how overweight they really
are. Just 4 in 10 think they may be overweight -- when the reality
is in fact reversed: 65% are either obese or overweight according to
the Centers for Disease Control. Even more astounding was the
finding that if all Americans reached what they considered to be
their "ideal" weight, 37% would still be overweight -- including 4%
who would be obese! For more on this survey, click here.
HEALTHY GIVING FOR BETTER
LIVING
Want to give the gift of wellness this holiday
season? Here are the director's favorite picks for presents to give
to those interested in improving their health. Don't know anyone
like that? Then gift yourself for all the hard work you're doing to
keep on track and overcome the dietary challenges of the
season.
Enlightened Kitchen by Marie Oser (find it at
Amazon.com). This is my favorite cookbook filled with incredible
recipes (like the stuffed squash featured above) that are easy to
make, low in calories and rich, complex and satisfying in
flavor.
Health & Wellness Basket -- Handpick your
own holiday harvest of healthy goodies like nuts, dried fruit, green
tea, jojoba oil and a gift certificate for spa
treatments.
Perfect Portions Diet Dish -- With
super-sizing undermining the best intentions of the most determined
dieter, this compartmentalized dish will help you re-train your eye
and learn the proper portion size for each food group. ($19.95 to
$24.95, call 877-612-DISH to order).
Desktop Water
Dispenser -- Need help in getting your recommended 8 glasses of
water a day? Let The Mini keep you hydrated through the dry winter
months and all year round. For variety and health try filling it
with iced green tea or juice diluted with water. ($15; in black,
white or beige at mass merchandisers or cyi.net)
Bedtime
Reading for the Mind & Heart -- Dominion: The Power of
Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy is a
powerful tour-de-force by presidential speechwriter Matthew Scully.
With logic and style he puts forth a compelling case for the ethical
treatment of animals. (click here to view)
SlimmerBeads --
An attractive way to count calories and keep track of your 5-A-Day.
Made of semi-precious stones, it's a weight loss tool that doubles
as a fashion accessory. (click here to view)
Silk Yoga Mat Carry
Sack -- Put yourself in the mood for meditation and stretching
with this multi-color floral print silk bag for your mat and other
yoga essentials. (click here to view)
Happy Healthy
Holidays!
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 Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apples and Cranberries
by
Marie Oser
4 Servings
2 medium acorn squash
1 1/2
teaspoons olive oil, separated
1/8 teaspoon crushed red
pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1
cup coarsely shredded carrots (prepackaged)
1 (12 ounce package)
ground turkey or ground beef alternative
1 medium Granny Smith
apple, peeled, diced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup
dried cranberries
1/4 cup Mirin (rice wine)
Preheat oven
to 375°
Halve squash crosswise, seed and place cut side down
in 1" of water in a 9" by 13" pan. Bake for one hour while preparing
stuffing.
Discard water and replace squash in pan, cut side
up.
Heat oil and crushed pepper in 10" frying pan over
medium-high heat.
Add garlic, scallion and shredded carrots.
Saute 3 minutes.
Add beef alternative and cook 5 minutes,
stirring frequently.
Drizzle diced apple with lime juice. Add
to pan with cranberries and Mirin. Lower heat to simmer and cook 5
minutes.
First spray the flesh of each squash with olive oil
and divide the filing among the four halves.
Cover each with
foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve
with jellied cranberry sauce.
Nutrition Analysis per. serving
1 filled squash half
Calories 309, Protein 8g, Carb 72g, Fiber
14g, Fat 2g, Chol 0.0mg, Calcium 139mg, Sodium 88 mg.
Calories
from Protein: 9%
Calories from Carb: 85%
Calories from Fat:
6%
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