Live Healthy Live Well

In addition to Christmas or other holiday dinners, many of us also host or attend bowl game parties or New Year’s Eve events during late December and early January. What do you have planned? I am a college football junkie, so snack foods that my family can eat during the bowl games are a necessity. In addition to things that are quick and easy to prepare, I also need to keep in mind ways to make them healthier for everyone.  The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has come up with a set of tips for healthy eating during winter gatherings that are lessons we can all use. Here are a few modifications of their suggestions:

• If you are going to someone else’s party, eat a healthy snack before you go. This is a great time to have a vegetable, fruit, or dairy. Even a half of a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread.
• Make sure the dish you bring to share is a healthy one. Bring the vegetable or fruit tray, a modified side dish (one you have cut the fat, calories or sodium in), or a dip or spread with reduced fat ingredients. Don’t forget to get whole grain corn chips or pretzels to serve your dip with.
• When you get to the party, check out everything they have to eat and think about how it will fit into your diet. Don’t forget to visualize half your plate being vegetables and fruit, and only a quarter protein, and a quarter grain (hopefully whole grain). It is always good for a snack to have at least 2 food groups in it – think vegetable, fruit, protein, dairy, or grain.
• Once you fix your plate, move away from the buffet to avoid grazing. It is easy to continue snacking on cookies, if there is a plate right in front of you. You will probably think twice about it, if you have to get up and go to another room to get it.
• Savor the flavors and take your time eating. You have probably heard the research that it takes time for your stomach to tell your brain you are full, but you may not have heard that there are also hormones at work in the digestive system that let the brain know you are satisfied. By eating more slowly, most of us will eat less and give our brain and body time to work together.
• If you plan on drinking punch, soda, teas, or an adult beverage at the party – make sure you are also getting in your water. It is a good idea to alternate a glass of water then your glass of punch and back to a glass of water before you can have more punch. We often eat when we are really thirsty.
• Last but not least – Enjoy your party! Remember why you came or got together, it was probably to enjoy time with family, friends, or an activity like New Year’s Eve or a Bowl Game – not really to eat food. Participate in board games, card games, dancing, or those active TV games. If you are watching a sporting event, use half time or the time between periods to take an exercise break rather than refill your plate. Dance to the half time music, walk the dog, or let the kids try out their new bike for 15 minutes.

So what ideas do you have for snack foods besides the common vegetable and fruit trays? Ohio State University Extension, Wayne County has a nice online database of Healthy Recipes – http://go.osu.edu/snacks.   I thought they had several ideas that would be good for parties or during games (Zippy Vegetable Dip, Frozen Fruit Cups, Fruit Kabobs, Spinach Dip Rollups, and the Black Bean Dip Rollups all look good). Another idea would be to put a big batch of soup in your slow cooker, many of them are low fat, and full of vegetables or beans. Whatever you decide to do – don’t forget to make your party meals part of your daily plan for healthy meals.

Writer:  Lisa Barlage, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Ross & Vinton Counties, barlage.7@osu.edu.

Reviewers: Elizabeth Smith and Cheryl Barber Spires, Program Specialists SNAP-Ed, Ohio State University Extension.

Sources:

National Diabetes Education Program, http://ndep.nih.gov/media/NDEP_Healthy_Eating.pdf.

Harvard Medical School, Health Blog, http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605.

Ohio State University Extension, Wayne County, http://wayne.osu.edu.