It’s the biggest holiday of the year. And it comes with lots of fun and presents, cheers – and calories. I don’t want to dampen your Christmas spirits but there’s no denying it – we tend to feast and fatten ourselves during the holiday season. But cheer up. We need not deprive ourselves of the goodies that Christmas brings. Health experts give us some tips on a healthy holiday diets for us and for our family – with out taking the fun out of the party.

At home

Get yourself a couple of those low-calorie, cholesterol-free recipe books. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends The Best Healthy Soul Food Recipes cookbook. In addition,

• Load on the vegetables
• For meat, the lean type is preferable; for poultry, go for the light breast mean and take it easy on the thighs and the skin.
• Pan drippings are fat traps, use fat-free liquids instead such as wine, low-sodium tomato juice or lemon juice for basting.
• Slim down the gravy. If you have to use the drippings (it just tastes better, let’s face it), then chill the dripping first and then remove the fat.
• Go for the cranberry sauce. Check out its health benefits here.

At a party

• Go for a variety of food – in small portions.
• At the buffet, go for the sushi and the veggie cuts. However, take it easy on the dips and the salads.
• Take it easy on the wraps and the dim sum. You never know what’s inside.
• If you are sure it’s reduce-fat cheese, then go for it. Otherwise leave the cheese alone.
• Water is still the healthiest drink you can get. If you have to drink alcohol (it has calories, too!), then go for red wine – in moderation. But keep in mind, drinking alcohol while pregnant or even while breastfeeding is a bad idea!

At the supermarket

• Check for products with the AHA heart-check mark. A product carrying this mark “has been screened and verified to meet the AHA’a certification criteria to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people over age 2.“
• Check out nutritional facts on the packaging. This US FDA resource: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label can help you out.

Do we fast during the week and feast on weekends?

We all know how holidays – Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving for Americans – lead to feasting – and extra pounds. This new study shows that we tend to feast and gain weight on weekends as well. True, we tend to lose what we have gained when we start out on our regular weekly routine on Mondays. But we don’t lose all – and these extra pounds tend to add up! And Saturday seems to be a really a bad day for those watching calories.

Maybe there is some truth to this – at least in my case. During the week, it’s cereals for breakfast, warm lunch at the office/school cafeteria and cold supper of bread, cheese, and veggie cuts.

Now, weekend is a different thing. Weekend is the time when I have the time to bake and cook for my family – unless we are eating out. Weekend is the time when we can have brunch and then treat ourselves to 3-course (usually home-made) dinner plus dessert and a glass of wine. Yes, we feast on weekends. But then weekend is also the time when we do the most exercise. My husband and I take turns to go jogging, the whole family goes on mountain walks and cycling tours. And weekend is the time to relax, hang out, and enjoy family life.

I love weekends – European weekends. When I was growing up in Asia, weekend was just one day – Sunday – when Mom and Dad didn’t have to work, when we had to go to church, do chores, and go grocery shopping. Whatever time we had left, we used for visiting. Now, as an adopted (and adapted) European, I love the European way of enjoying life on weekends.

But what about the extra pounds?

Well, I and my family will continue to enjoy our weekends. We know the importance of a healthy lifestyle – and it’s not about counting calories or pounds. It’s about eating healthy food (most of the time), doing exercise, getting rid of stress, and being happy. It’s about having a life.