As the holidays approach, conversations begin to focus on topics like office parties, food, family, and celebrations. There is a powerful notion in our culture that this is the one time of the year we are allowed to overindulge, and we find ourselves surrounded by candy, cookies, and copious amounts of all types of food and drink. That means finding ways to stay healthy can be a real challenge. It is particularly difficult for anyone trying to stick to a very specific nutrition plan, so many of our patients find this time of year very stressful. Increased travel, dining out, and holiday parties can all create dietary challenges that can contribute to feelings of guilt and depression. However, the holidays don’t have to be all about food. This time should be about togetherness and giving. So, with a little bit of planning, some helpful tips, and some delicious recipes, it is possible to enjoy the holidays and stay on track. Here’s a list of helpful suggestions from the Block Center Registered Dietitians to get you started.
Planning:
Plan time for exercise. It can be easy to slip out of a normal exercise routine during the holiday season due to hectic schedules. Exercise can also help relieve stress and offset holiday eating. If you don’t have time for your normal exercise routine try to walk for 10-15 minutes at a time a couple times a day.
Healthy snacks to go. Always bring snacks with you when traveling or shopping. Keeping a supply of healthy snacks in your purse, backpack, or glove box will allow you to keep your blood sugar in balance throughout the day, even when you are really busy. Some suggestions that won’t spoil during a long travel day:
- Whole fruit
- Carrot or celery sticks
- Homemade Granola (See our Gingerbread Granola Recipe)
- Nuts
- Sprouted Grow Bars
- Louisville Vegan Black Pepper Jerky
Prepping for a party
- Always volunteer to bring something – doing this will guarantee you have something to eat that fits with your diet plan
- If it’s your party……keep it simple and go with appetizers versus a full meal. Preparing a full meal can be stressful and create a lot of unwanted pressure. Small, fun, hors d’oeuvres are trendy and most people prefer munching and socializing versus being constrained to a sit down dinner.
- Potluck – If you do decide you want a more formal dinner party, make it potluck and delegate what to bring. Everyone likes this option and it’s a perfect opportunity to share recipes. Don’t be shy about making recommendations for vegetarian or vegan dishes.
Basic Tips:
Practice Mindful Eating
One of the most important principles of mindful eating is to choose food that is both satisfying and nourishing to your body. It is easy to give in to our cravings if we stop thinking about that principle for even a moment. Our bodies are complicated and amazing systems of energy production and metabolism. The internal processes within our bodies are profoundly affected by our external environment and by the foods we eat. If we take the time to consciously think about everything that goes into our body and how it affects every tiny cell, it makes it easier to choose the right foods.
Another important principle of mindful eating is to eat slowly and be aware of your feelings of satiety. As you take each bite, access the texture and flavor of the food and enjoy it to the fullest. From the time we begin eating, the hormones that control satiety take almost a full 20 minutes to actually get to our brain, and then they continue to rise and stay elevated for several hours. Eating slowly and being in tune with your body will help you avoid overindulgence.
Dealing with family
Although family members may have the best of intentions by inquiring about your diet, the holidays may not be the best time to discuss which diet is best. To avoid the debate simply offer another time to continue the discussion. Stand firm with your choices. Don’t succumb to pressure or guilt if you didn’t try Aunt Sally’s famous pecan pie.
Extra Tips
- Choose healthy items first so you have less room to give in to temptation
- Make fruits and vegetables the stars of your plate
- Be realistic
- Position yourself away from the munchies
- Don’t skip meals just to “save up”: Being overly hungry can sabotage even the most well-intentioned plan; it will also cause blood sugar imbalances.
- Get enough sleep that you feel rested
Recipes
Pumpkin Tart Vegan “Cheesecake-Style” with Chocolate Almond-Flour Crust
Chocolate Almond Flour Crust
1¼ cup blanched almond flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons high-heat canola or grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons pure agave syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup non-dairy, grain-sweetened chocolate chips (e.g., Sunspire) melted over low heat (“double-boiler” method or pot resting in larger pot with boiling water)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix almond flour, sea salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the oil, agave and vanilla extract with the melted chocolate. Thoroughly combine the wet ingredients with the dry mixture. Press the dough into a 9 ½-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the surface of the crust loses its shiny surface and begins to appear dry. But be careful not to over-bake which causes the crust to dry out. While still hot, gently press down the crust with the back of a spoon and cool before filling. Then cool entire tart in refrigerator. You can decorate the cooled tart with pecans halves that have been toasted in a pan and with glazed agave.
Recipe is slight adaptation from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
Pumpkin Filling — Vegan “Cheesecake-Style”
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water 1 hour or in refrigerator overnight, drained
1½ cups cooked, unsweetened pumpkin pureed (fresh or canned)
2/3 cup high heat canola or grapeseed oil or non-hydrogenated buttery spread (e.g.,
Earth Balance)
½ cup pure agave syrup or pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
In a food processor blend until completely creamy (a patient process): cashews, pumpkin, oil, agave or maple syrup, lemon juice (optional), vinegar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger achieving a very smooth consistency. Spoon the top of the pumpkin cashew cream into the cool pie crust, smoothing the top. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Note: This filling is creamier/more flavorful the next day, so it’s preferable to make it the night before.
Recipe is slight adaptation from Laura Friendly’s Recipe – Gluten- and Dairy-Free
Wild Rice Pilaf
From A Banquet of Health, Penny Block, PhD
1 cup wild rice
4½ cups vegetable stock divided (either commercially available –OR – if you choose, home-made recipe follows –OR—simple, seasoned water)
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 cup pecans, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped parsley
Orange-Dijon Dressing (recipe follows)
Prepare Orange-Dijon Dressing; set aside.
In medium pot, bring wild rice and 2¼ cups vegetable stock or seasoned water to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 40 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes. In a strainer, drain excess liquid then gently spread wild rice in a large sized pasta bowl.
Meanwhile, in another medium pot, bring brown rice and 2¼ cups vegetable stock or seasoned water to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 40 minutes or until tender. Also drain excess liquid from cooked brown rice using a strainer.
In large serving bowl, stir together, wild rice, brown rice, pecans, green onions, parsley, and dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Orange-Dijon Dressing
1 teaspoon orange zest (outermost part of peel)
5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ – 1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard or other mustard of your choosing
½ teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar with tight-fitting lid; cover and shake vigorously
Basic Vegetable Stock
1 gallon water
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 carrots, sliced
1 parsnip, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, thoroughly cleaned and sliced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh dill weed (optional)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried thyme OR dried basil
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a large soup pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain into a large storage jar; discard vegetables. Cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate for use in recipes calling for Basic Vegetable Stock.
Gingerbread Granola
Adapted from The Minimalist Baker for the Block Diet
Dry ingredients
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (GF for gluten-free folks)
1 ¾ cups raw nuts (almond, pecans, and walnuts work well)
¼ tsp sea salt
½ Tbsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves (optional)
Wet ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup pure agave or pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, warm the olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 18-22 minutes stirring half way and watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t brown too quickly. Remove from oven and let cool before storing.
Cocoa Coated Macadamia Orange Truffles
A recipe contributed by Deepa Gopinath
½ cup raw, unsalted macadamias
½ avocado, mashed
½ cup cacao powder
4 ½ Tbsp of maple syrup
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup whey powder
Finely grated zest of two oranges
- Pulse the macadamias in a food processor until they are very coarsely crushed.
- Combine the macadamias, avocado, cacao powder, maple syrup, shredded coconut, whey powder, and zest.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Roll mixture into truffle sized balls using your hands
- Roll each ball in cacao powder to coat evenly. Refrigerate for another hour before serving.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
From A Banquet of Health, Penny Block, PhD
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound mushrooms (shiitake, cremini or other of your choice), sliced
½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
1-2 Tablespoons dry sake or dry white wine (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
4½ cups Basic Vegetable Stock –OR– well-seasoned water
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant) or if more liquefied soup, use only 1 cup oats
2 tablespoons miso paste (traditionally fermented, ideally brown rice Onozaki family brand, ordered online, or similar red or brown miso)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)
Lightly coat heated bottom of soup pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil; place over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms with ½ teaspoon sea salt, pepper and 3 cloves crushed garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid forms. Cover; reduce heat to low and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1 tablespoon dry sake or dry white wine if desired; simmer 1 minute. Remove mushroom mixture from pot; reserve. Recoat bottom of the pot with remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté onion with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the other 2-3 (depending on size) cloves of crushed garlic. Cover; cook over low heat 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in vegetable stock and oats. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Purée soup with miso in batches in blender or food processor; return to pot. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture; simmer over low heat 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls; garnish each serving with chopped parsley.
Note: Recipe can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat over low heat. Do not boil.