Holiday Message

Every Day is Not a Holiday

Lauren Giddings, RD, Director of Nutrition Services, tells her clients, “Enjoy the eating festivities on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but if you eat like every day is a holiday, we need to talk!”

So many people get worked up over the idea they can’t enjoy all their holiday favorites. I tell them enjoy. What we need to talk about is what we eat every day, not just what we do on two special days in the year. And her final tip, “Sweet potatoes are one of those great super foods. Let’s make this something we eat all year long, not just on Christmas and Thanksgiving.”

Holiday Newsletter Messages

Monica Dawkins writes a year-end newsletter, Healthy Holiday Lifestyle. She focuses on:

• Holiday dinner substitutions.• Adding sparkle nutritiously to the holiday meal.• Holiday leftover tips.• Making physical activity a priority during the holidays.

Holiday Party Primer

Mary Wilson, MS, RD, Extension Nutrition Specialist, conducts a class to help individuals maintain their healthful lifestyle during the holidays.

She asks, “What are some food challenges or other problems people face during special events and parties?” She encourages the class to brainstorm and write them down. Here are her examples:• Eating too much• Gaining weight• Saying “no” to Aunt Betty• Eating at night• No time for exerciseShe uses a flip chart with the class to brainstorm ways to counter these challenges.Participants identify and write down two personal food challenges that they face during the holidays and create a strategy to minimize each challenge.