HEALTHY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS AND STAYING HEALTHY
Written by: Debra D'Acquisto

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “healthy holiday celebrations?” What is the first thing mentioned when you ask family members their thoughts on healthy holiday celebrations? Do they tell you they are thinking of the local Turkey Trot race held around Thanksgiving time, or the Jingle Bell run at Christmas time? Are they daydreaming of an afternoon pick-up game of football with family or friends on Thanksgiving weekend? Some may mention a physical activity bringing on a good cardiovascular challenge as the temperatures cool and a holiday indulgence is earned.

Food usually comes to mind when thinking about holiday celebrations. Traditional meals prepared the way generations have served it, lower calorie food alternatives, and sweet holiday food indulgences have become common in discussions of healthy food (or not-so-healthy holiday food). So, having an idea that physical activity, food, and tradition would be the most common thoughts regarding healthy holiday celebrations, I thought I’d ask a few of my colleagues what came to their minds when posed the question, “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of healthy holiday celebrations?”

Healthy holiday celebration may be a contradiction of terms was one response I thought, said it all. Are the holidays always healthy? Do we sit more, eat more, drink more, lay around more? Or do we take the opportunity to remain physically active with heart-healthy activitie,s and make modifications in recipes to make them a bit more healthy? Making a modification in a recipe to bring out distinct flavors may make a dent in butter laden, fat dripping, and sugar-loaded meals. A complete overhaul for an entire meal may be too overwhelming, so starting with one or two dishes may make way for healthier modifications in other dishes.

A couple of my favorite places to find healthy recipe modifications that I can count on is the hard copy version of Health magazine or the Cooking Light magazine. Health.com (November 2009) promises a healthy balance of nutrients, an easy to make, and an entire RD approved Thanksgiving dinner. Calories, fat, cholesterol, protein, sugars, fiber, iron, sodium, and calcium are the nutrients given for each recipe; however, the recipes do not describe which nutrients have been modified into a more healthy version. If you are looking for a healthy version of pie, the Health magazine doesn’t include pie as the dessert of choice for their Thanksgiving menu, but rather a refreshing honey-roasted bosc pear dish. If a herb roasted turkey stuffed with sourdough and roasted chestnut dressing, sides of chipolte-glazed sweet potato spears with lime, fresh cranberry salsa, green beans with lemon butter breadcrumbs, or the bosc pears as the dessert sound like a healthy choice for you, log onto Health.com/recipes.

Cooking Light magazine indicates in many of their recipes the modifications for a healthier version. For example, egg substitutes save x amount of calories and lowers x mg of cholesterol. The entire November 2009 issue is not devoted to making the whole Thanksgiving meal healthier, but it does offer suggestions for the preparation of the meal, as well as a few general tips to lighten up the dish. Search cookinglight.com/magazine/ and you’ll see a tab for recipe make-overs. There may even be a video about the preparation of these make-overs, so watch and listen to learn something new! One of my favorite ingredients this time of year is pumpkin. I love a not-too-sweet dessert, and one of the make-over recipes featured this month is for a pecan-topped pumpkin bread. This recipe combines the reduced caloric content of the traditional pumpkin bread by 33%, reduces the fat content by ½, and tantalizes the taste buds with seasonal spices.

More than one response to the original inquiry about healthy holiday celebrations included food. A common theme focusing on reducing fats, sugars, or total calories was expressed. Enhance the flavors in food recipes by reducing the fat and sugar contents with healthier substitutions. For example, find no-sugar mixers for drinks. A simple holiday punch can have a huge reduction in sugar if a zero-calorie soda or sparkling water is combined with a reduced-sugar juice. To undo the all too common intake of high calorie snacks, one of my colleagues told me her grandmother always made for the family a snack of relish tray food items. Careful preparation of a relish tray can be very creative and healthy, and it doesn’t have to mean a boring selection of celery, pickles, carrots, and olives. Try filling the celery with low fat cream cheese, slice up the carrots into fancy ridges, add small cubes of low fat cheese to the dish, and line tooth picks with marinated vegetables for a simple enhancement to the traditional relish tray. It was suggested to me that reducing the salt content of food was an important part of staying healthy.

So, food is huge when we think of celebrations, but activity plays a big role when we think of healthy holiday celebrations as well. Consider training the mind by playing board games. Board games can include all ages; can be physically challenging (as in playing charades); can be competitive, team oriented, strategic, and can keep hands busy and out of the cookie jar! It was suggested to me that trying to eliminate the high calorie and salty snacks makes playing board games a healthy holiday alternative activity.

More than one graduate student said they thought of organized activities, outdoor running races, caroling, and snow sports when they thought of healthy holiday celebrations. Can you tell that working closely with students and faculty in the Department of Physical Education School and Public Health and the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Sciences here at Central Washington University allows for wonderful input regarding healthy food suggestions and heart-healthy physical activity? There are numerous search engines to find local family friendly walking and running races aimed at making the holiday times an outdoor fun time. Inexpensive registrations, dog friendly, safe routes, time prediction runs, and even costume encouraging events, such as the Leavenworth (WA) Ski team Annual Pumpkin Run in October and the Renton (WA) Christmas Rush run in December, make for a fun event to look forward to and even train for!

It is easy to find groups and partners in all stages of training. Look in your local sporting goods, outdoor, or running stores for flyers that advertise upcoming events. Regional multi-sport or running magazines will list event dates months in advance. It is a wonderful way for students to contribute their time by participating in or volunteering for a local event. Volunteers are needed in a variety of capacities to pull off a local event, and it is a great way to celebrate the season. And, it’s healthy for you and for others! Look for special events and reduced prices during the holidays at the local gym, YMCA, and even college campuses. Holiday breaks often mean fewer students on the college campus, so strength and cardio equipment, studios, wet areas, and other parts of the recreation center may become available to the general public for a pro-rated fee. Holiday events or special group exercise classes that showcase what is available at the facility and that invite and encourage guests is common, so watch for advertisements or on-line specials. Or, make a couple of phone calls to key people to find out what’s going on!

I searched www.health.exercisefriends.com to see other modes of activity one can be involved in within a given area code. The list is huge. See if there is a group that you, your family, or your students could become part of...flag football - walk the talk, run in fun - family fitness - waterfront walks - reverse it, 10 to 1 miles - tennis - running bootcamp on a college campus - clog jam - marathon moms to run in double digits - heart conditioning - outdoor adventures - dream bodies - mommy walkers - happy feet - volleyball - ping pong - fearless fitness - foothill walkers - the balanced athlete - diva walkers

Log onto www.active.com to read 10 strategies to prevent the holiday bulge.

There is an alternative to all the fuss about having a healthy holiday celebration. Don’t worry about it and ENJOY!! There may be consequences after enjoying too many Halloween goodies, bites of Thanksgiving pie, chugs of eggnog, sips of sparkles, bites of gingerbread men and assorted truffles. If the holiday food doesn’t make an impact, then a couple of days of watching football on the couch, sleeping in, or taking too long a break from your normal physical activity might have you feeling a little sluggish. There is something to be said about enjoying without “worrying” about it. One suggestion is to “bank “ your calories the day of a big meal. Better yet, a nutritionist suggested, “banking” calories for a week before a big meal and then enjoying everything there is to offer. Either way, set forth a plan to enjoy everything and to make the holidays a healthy celebration.

In The Schools
The home is not the only place where there could be concern about turning a less than healthy holiday celebration into a more healthy celebration. The schools celebrate birthdays, and usually have holiday celebrations. Administrators and teachers may take on a disposition much like the points of view already discussed. One, enjoy the celebration for what it is and don’t worry about what is unhealthy about it. Or, two, make some modifications to make it more healthy in terms of food and physical activity.

However, every school district is required by federal law to have a wellness policy. The policies must address nutrition education, physical activity, school meals, and every other food that is available at the school. A celebration may not be addressed in the wellness policy, so check into that aspect of your school’s policy. Volumes of information regarding nutrition policies can be found at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org). The tab for Nutrition policy can easily be located, which will include several subtitles such as junk food in schools, healthy snack ideas, and ideas for every month on healthy celebrations.

Here’s a sample of how to make healthier classroom celebration choices by incorporating physical activity into the day.

• Scavenger hunt for items related to the celebration
• Craft stations related to the theme of the celebration and create art
• Plan special party games
• Have a dance party -- etiquette, social manners, and physical activity are the bonus outcomes
• Provide time for a “free” activity of choice
• For a birthday celebration let the birthday boy/girl do the teacher errands

Try to avoid the party trap of too many sugary snacks teamed with fatty foods plus a goodie bag of candy. Here’s a sample of healthier party snacks:

• Air-popped popcorn
• Graham crackers with jam or apple butter
• Yogurt parfaits with granola and fruit
• Fresh apple slices with yogurt dip
• Individual fruit cups

Let’s take a look at the possibilities for making healthy modifications during the October, November, and December celebrations. If you expect students will be trick-or-treating with parents and friends in the neighborhood, focus the school day around fun at school. Costume parades and treats of small, inexpensive toys like false teeth, plastic spiders, and stickers can take the focus off candy. Use Halloween cookie cutters on bread for small sandwiches with good-for-you fillings. Incorporate the flavors of the season such as apples (apple slices dipped in carmel) and pumpkins (pumpkin mini muffins), cider, and low-sugar cranberry juice as snacks.

Encourage students to bring their extra Halloween candy to school for any one of the following projects:

• Send some of the candy to Operation Gratitude for Soldiers. (details: ship by Dec. 5th, Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard, 17330 Victory Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406. or log onto http://www.opgratitude.com/).
• Make cars and trucks out of chocolate candy bars and peppermints and lifesavers as wheels. Hot glue or spray paint them.
• Save pieces of candies for decorating gingerbread houses later on in the season.
• Use candy wrappers and weave into a tree garland, napkin ring, or placemat.

December incorporates the winter theme at this holiday time. Service projects, whether students deliver the creations themselves or are active in mind and body with the essence of the project, may include:

• Making greeting cards for seniors
• Collecting personal care items for the homeless, inmates, or those in a nursing home
• Decorating the school with winter themes
• Shoveling snow

And snacks that are healthy can keep the colors of the season, green and red, alive. Try piercing red and green grapes onto a skewer, serve red apples, cherry tomatoes, green beans, and broccoli flowerettes with low fat dip, or fill hollowed-out green and red peppers with a dip and serve with tortillas chips.

Have fun! Enjoy! Mangia! I’d love to hear about any suggestions you have, or any tried-and-true activities/recipes that can help make our homes and schools healthier as we celebrate the holidays.

Debra M. D'Acquisto is a Health, Fitness and Nutrition editor for pelinks4u. She graduated with a MA from the University of Colorado where her major was in curriculum and instruction. She concentrated on sport and leisure, coaching, and administration. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor and the Coordinator at Central Washington University in the Physical Education Activity Program.

Debra has taught a number of undergraduate courses in the exercise program, including aerobic activities, administration of adult fitness programs, and issues in fitness and exercise science. Her teaching interests span from aerobic dance to aquacises. She has presented several times at WAHPERD and PEAK conferences. In her spare time she enjoys traveling with her family, jogging, hiking, skiing, biking and swimming.

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