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The Three Tips Nutritionists Want You To Know During the Holiday Season

Lauren Rabadi · November 9, 2018 ·

Stay healthy during the holiday season with our nutritionists’s top picks and tips.


With the holiday season upon us, there will be a lot of food, drink and parties to distract you from your health goals. Instead of resolving to derailment, I recommend that you head into the season making a conscious effort to stay positive and on track by avoiding mindless overeating and continuing positive health habits throughout the festivities. This is also a time for celebrating, family time, togetherness and enjoying some of our favorite seasonal indulgences, and it can all be done in a healthy and fun way!

SET A GOAL: Start out the holidays with a health goal in mind, whether it’s to stay in fitness shape, maintain your current weight or just to enjoy yourself more regardless of the usual stress around the holidays. If you set a goal that is important to you, you can continually use that goal as an anchor to get you through the holidays the way you want.

PRIORITIZE FAVORITE FOODS: Whether it’s pumpkin pie or your dad’s famous mashed potatoes, prioritize the special occasion foods & minimize not so special foods (i.e. the ones that your pushy aunt shoves in your face while telling you “you’re not eating enough”). Additionally, try to focus on manageable portion sizes of all foods, including the healthy ones so that you can honor your hunger and fullness cues to feel your best.

MAKE NON-FOOD PLANS: Turkey trots and jingle bell jogs, volunteering your time, walks with friends, family football games, movies and board games can help you take the focus to non-food activities.

SOME SIMPLE TIPS:

AVOID:

  • Skipping meals throughout the day to help avoid overeating
  • Large portions, even of healthy foods – there are so many different foods to try, if you keep your portions smaller, you will avoid mindless overeating
  • Eating in front of the TV / Computer Screen / Cell Phone Screen

MAKE SURE TO:

  • Use a smaller plate & start with veggies; deciding how many times you are going to fill up your plate ahead of time can help you stay on track
  • Eat slowly and check in with your hunger – being mindful about how you are eating will help you feel well-nourished and make your meals more enjoyable
  • Exercise! And focus on other non-food related activities – Try to take the holiday focus off food (as much as possible!)
  • Give away your leftovers – having excessive food leftover that you feel like you must get through before it goes bad can lead to overeating. Give your untouched food to your doormen, your coworkers or a local charity.

About the Author

Ten years after completing her undergraduate degree in Marketing, Alicia Blittner became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, earning her Masters in Nutrition Sciences at Hunter College in 2015. Through pursuing her passion for helping people eat healthier to feel their best, Alicia works at FreshDirect as an on-site Corporate Nutritionist and Employee Wellness program manager. In addition to encouraging others to live a healthy lifestyle, Alicia also loves to exercise, and aims to eat as wholesome and nutritiously as possibly at every meal and snack. Her favorite fruit is an Indian mango and her favorite vegetable is brussels sprouts.

Filed Under: Nutrition & Wellness, Nutritionist Tips with Alicia Blittner Tagged With: health tips, healthy tips, holiday health, Nutrition, nutritionist

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Nothing warms the soul quite like a hearty fish st Nothing warms the soul quite like a hearty fish stew. This rustic vegetable soup recipe melds more delicate flavored fish with a combination of soul-soothing  vegetables.

What You’ll Need:
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 4 cippolini onions peeled and cut into sixths, keep root intact
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 hakurei turnips, greens trimmed, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium clove of garlic, thickly sliced
- 1/3 head of cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 fingerling potatoes cut into 1/3-inch coins
- 4 cups water
- Olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt and black pepper
- 4 6- 8 oz cod fillets

What to Do:
Place a 12” wide pot on medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil and bacon. Cook, stirring often until bacon starts to brown.

Add onions and garlic, and cook, gently turning until onions start to lightly brown. Add carrots and a few pinches of salt. Continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat if vegetables start to brown. Add turnips and cook a few minutes more.

Add cabbage and potatoes, 1 tsp salt, a pinch of black pepper and the water.

Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 5 to 8 minutes.

Season fillets well with salt & pepper while the soup is simmering, allowing the seasoning to penetrate.

After the soup has simmered, nestle the fillets into the soup, gently shaking the pot to allow the fish to settle in. Spoon some soup over the top of the fillets, adjust heat to low. Cover the soup and allow to simmer for approximately 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, remove the fillets and place in individual soup bowls. Adjust seasoning and evenly divide vegetables and broth into the bowls. Add some cracked black pepper on top and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.
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What you'll need:
- One third of a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 small container grape tomatoes
- 1 onion, cut into wedges through root end
- 6 scallion bottoms (trim off the green parts)
- 1 poblano pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- For serving: tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream

What to do:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Season salmon with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place chipotles in adobo in food processor or blender, along with honey, lightly-packed brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until well-combined. Set aside a few tablespoons of sauce for serving, then transfer the rest to a large bowl.

Place salmon in bowl and evenly-coat all over in sauce. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving excess sauce in bowl. Add to bowl tomatoes, onion wedges, poblano and bell peppers, and scallions. Toss to coat in sauce, then add in an even layer to the baking sheet with the salmon.

Roast everything in the oven until salmon is done and vegetables lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Serve inside tortillas with lime wedges, sour cream, and reserved sauce.
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This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and warming weeknight meal. Typically, it would be made with whatever the catch of the day was, and you can feel free do the same here by swapping out any other fish or shellfish you’ve got—clams, crab, squid, lobster, halibut, or sea bass would all be worthy choices. 

What you'll need:
- 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives, rinsed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
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- 2 cups water
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What to do:
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, capers, olives and salt. Sauté a few minutes until onion and fennel begin to soften. Toss in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.

Stir in chili flakes, then pour in white wine. Simmer until liquid is mostly evaporated, then stir in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, and 2 cups water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add mussels. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

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