The People's Cafe

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The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two major holidays each year and there is so much food consumed during these two days. People travel long distances to be with their families during the holidays. A big part of the holidays revolves around food. Many people look forward to the food as much as they look forward to spending time with family. Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing, potatoes and many other side dishes along with a host of desserts. Unfortunately holiday food also means holiday calories and pounds. People gain more weight during the holidays than any other time of year. It’s no wonder that people choose the start of the New Year as their time to improve their weight, which is after the holidays.

One way to get a handle on all the food that is being passed around during this time of year is to modify some of your favorite recipes. By simply finding a good diet recipe that is your staple at office and church potlucks during the holidays, you can help your calorie count out tremendously. Using a diet recipe doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice all the flavor and pizzazz you’re used to. With all the different functions you likely attend during the holidays, why not integrate your calorie watching into that? There are a lot of diet recipes out there that you would never know are good for you. Many of the holiday classics can be modified to be what’s considered a diet recipe. Just think of that secret carrot cake recipe you’re famous for, grandma’s world famous mac ‘n cheese recipe or even your favorite cookies. There are tons of alternative ingredients you can use to lower the fat and calorie content of all those dishes. And the best part is, often times when you switch out the ingredients, the flavor doesn’t have to be sacrificed. Using diet recipes isn’t the only way to cut back during the holidays.

You can simply watch your portion sizes as well. Indulging isn’t completely wrong all the time. But remember to not overeat. You can simply have a little of everything. Follow the cues your body gives you and don’t eat until you make yourself sick. If you’re the one doing the hosting and cooking at your house, try a few diet recipes. You can easily incorporate these into the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and your guests will be none the wiser. Of course they’ll be thankful that you saved them some calories. And you might find that your guests are anxious to get the diet recipes from you. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean that all is lost where calories and fat are concerned. You can take charge of your holiday eating by using Diet recipes along with some of your other favorite dishes.