Eating healthy during holiday meals isn't hard

Orlando mom shares her simple steps to success

ORLANDO, Fla – It's that time of year again, and with the holidays in full swing, making healthy eating choices can be difficult. Just dining in a group can cause the average person to eat about 44-percent more calories. But experts say there are ways to prepare and eat food that that will keep you slim this holiday season.

7-year-old Natalie Lopez and her brother got an early Christmas gift this year, their mom made a life-saving decision to eat healthier.

Recommended Videos



"She has energy to play around with me on Christmas and Thanksgiving," said Natalie.

Circe Lopez lost 60 pounds but her old habits were hard to break especially around the holidays.

"I used to not eat the whole entire day because I wanted to have my big Christmas meal" Circe said.

Today, the holiday feast in the Lopez home looks a lot different.

"I changed it from pork shoulder to pork tenderloin which is a leaner piece of pork," Circe explained.

Circe's favorite holiday recipe: first, sprinkle mineral salt and black pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest, cilantro, minced garlic, lemon juice and Dijon mustard and mix. Brown the meat and cook for 15-20 minutes. For a side, try roasted sweet potatoes, winter squash and sliced carrots. Nutrition experts say it's all about portion control.

"Serving size for a protein or a meat should be about the size of the palm of the hand. The starchy foods and the grains should be about the size of one cupped hand," explained Sarah Kirchner, MS, of Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando.

Some other healthy holiday tips: be last in the buffet line, you'll probably fill your plate with less. Wear tight-fitting clothes, you'll be more likely to feel discomfort when you're full. Chew gum after a big meal, it will help you avoid going back for more, and never show up to a holiday dinner starving. 

"Make sure that you are eating regular balanced meals throughout the rest of the day" Kirchner said.

Nutrition experts also say you can sub out sugar for spices like nutmeg or cinnamon and heavy cream for low fat milk. Also, be careful about consuming too many sugary, high-calorie drinks. Too many alcoholic drinks may also cause you to let your guard down and eat more.

Holiday Pork Tenderloin
(Printable Recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 ÂĽ pounds of pork tenderloin
Mineral salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Pinch of rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest from fresh lemon
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup Dijon mustard


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and lemon juice. Stir mixture with a fork until all the ingredients are well combined and they form a seasoning. This will be used as a rub to ensure the pork is well seasoned throughout. Sprinkle the rub over the tenderloin with a dry hand, and then rub the pork with the seasoning over both sides of the meat, pressing gently so the seasoning adheres well to the tenderloin. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute. Put tenderloin in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, searing each side using tongs to turn the meat. Transfer meat to a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes. Slice and serve alongside roasted sweet potatoes and winter squash.