Whether you’re still on a roll from those New Year’s resolutions you set or you’re just wanting to adopt a healthier lifestyle, you might be wondering how to avoid holiday weight gain. Planning a healthy holiday meal is a great way to continue your healthy lifestyle and possibly introduce a healthier lifestyle to those around you as well! A healthy holiday meal can sound tough to plan, but there’s a few tricks that it make it a little easier. Keep reading for tips to plan your own healthy holiday meal!
How To Plan A Healthy Holiday Meal
1. Recreate your favorite dishes.
If you’re accustomed to those wholesome mashed potatoes every year, start experimenting with recipes that are *somewhat* healthier before jumping straight to something like cauliflower mash. Of course, if you like cauliflower mash, that’s a great option as well! But sometimes, just creating a healthier version of a dish is a great way to contribute to a healthy holiday meal. Consider using less butter and/or salt, or making sweet potato mash instead!
2. Send out a sample menu ahead of time.
If there are any dishes you’ve left out, your guests can remind you, and if there are any that nobody really eats, you can leave those ones out with feedback as well. This is a great way to make it known that you’re planning a healthy holiday meal and give your guests an idea of what the meal will look like so they can contribute, too. If you have several guests who will be bringing food, this is a great way to divide and conquer!
3. Find new recipes.
If you can’t find a way to make a healthier version of one of your favorites, sometimes it’s a good idea to replace it with a new recipe! Add some new recipes to your repertoire in the weeks before the healthy holiday meal and test them out as possible substitutes for your meal. Pinterest and AllRecipes are both great places to look for new recipes.
4. Make it a potluck.
Hosting a potluck can lessen the burden on you, as the host, and it also allows people to bring what they prefer if they don’t want healthier options. This way, you can plan a healthy holiday meal, but people can still bring their favorites as well! Potlucks are also a fun way to exchange recipes – see if your guests would be willing to bring some of their favorite healthy recipes to the holiday celebration!
5. Don’t feel too pressured!
If you’ve got a lot of eating styles to please on holidays, try not to stress too much! After all, if you choose to host a potluck style healthy holiday meal, there will be plenty of diverse options for everyone to choose from. Do the best you can and make it as healthy as possible, but it’s okay to splurge a little, too!
What’s your favorite recipe for a healthy holiday meal? Share in the comments below!
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