Mary Lavanway is a dietician with Hannaford. In this segment she talks about surviving holiday parties without weight gain.

Simply healthy
from your Hannaford Dietitian

Surviving Holiday Parties without the Weight Gain

The holidays are a time for family, friends, fun, festivities, and of course, FOOD! With the many temptations of cookies, pies, and indulgent rich foods this season, try these tips to help manage your weight at your next holiday gathering:

1. Eat a snack before the party to curb your appetite and insure you won't show up hungry.
An apple, a Dannon® yogurt cup, or a small salad is a great light choice.

2. Bring a low-fat holiday dish to the party. You will be happy knowing there is at least one dish
you can enjoy without breaking your diet.

3. Head to the fruit, vegetables, lean meat, and whole-grain crackers. Use small plates to help control
portions sizes.

4. Mingle more than you munch. Focus on family and friends, not food.

5. Stand away from the food table. Hovering near the food often leads to more eating.

6. Keep in mind that calories from drinks add up too. Try lighter versions of seasonal favorites, such as
eggnog. Even hot beverages, such as flavored coffee or tea or spiced cider, can add a festive touch to
the event.

7. Keep your hands occupied with a low-calorie drink in one and a plate of low-fat goodies in the
other to keep you from snitching from the food table.

8. Chew gum after you finish eating. With fresh minty breath, you may be less likely to go back for
seconds or thirds.

9. Delay dessert. If you wait 20 to 30 minutes after eating healthy foods, your craving for sweets
may be less than when you first arrived.

10. If you are throwing the gathering, pick a time of day that does not revolve around a meal.

11. Go ahead and say yes. If you can't stop thinking about Cathy's famous pecan pie, then enjoy a small
slice after a well-balanced meal and refrain from seconds. One slice will not destroy your diet, but eating half the pie will ultimately lead to feelings of guilt and frustration, not to mention weight gain.

Cheddar Holiday Tree
Recipe courtesy of the farm families who own Cabot Creamery

Ingredients:
5 (8-ounce) bars Cabot® Cheddar, plain & flavored
Grape cherry tomatoes
1 mushroom
Fresh thyme sprigs

Directions:
1. Cut each bar of cheddar into 1-inch cubes.
2. On large platter or cutting board, arrange cubes in rows to form tree shape, using different flavor for each row and separating flavors with thyme sprigs and rows of tomatoes.
3. For star on top, peel skin from mushroom; press star pattern into mushroom with point of knife.
4. Serve with Kashi® crackers.


Goat Cheese & POM-stuffed Celery

Recipe courtesy of POM Wonderful

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds from 1 POM Wonderful® Pomegranate
6 large celery stalks, cleaned and trimmed of strings
1/2 cup Hellman's Olive or Canola oil mayonnaise
1/2 Dannon® Oikos® Plain Greek Yogurt
2 ounces goat's cheese, softened to room temperature
1 fresh lemon, juice and zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
Dash McCormick® cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place pomegranate in a bowl of water and break open under water to free the seeds. Strain and place seeds in a separate bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of the seeds and set aside. (Use remaining seeds as garnish around plate.)
2. Clean celery stalks; cut each stalk into four pieces and set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, greek yogurt, goat's cheese, lemon juice, zest, minced garlic & other spices.
4. Fill each piece of celery with mixture. Divide seeds evenly and press onto cheese. Chill for 1 hour. Serve cold.

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