SET AN ATHLETE'S TABLE

Candy cane treat. Taken by PKSenagore December 2, 2017. All rights reserved.

​TRADITIONAL YET HEALTHY FOODS Sometimes the manners of nutrition-conscious runners, walkers, and fitness enthusiasts at holiday feast get-togethers can seem lacking. They might load up on vegetable dishes, pick at honored-recipe side dishes, scrape away main-dish sauces, and skip dessert.  To avoid weight gain. They can be annoying.
 
How to remedy this situation if you host the meal?  Ignore the implied slight that your spread may be an over-the-top calorie expense? Be prepared to chalk up the extra weight that’s bound to appear on your own scale as the cost of being a good host/hostess?  Maybe it’s time to update feast essentials. Or stick with some of the old recipes but choose a few to revamp. It could be that simplified prep methods will leave you less than exhausted after preparing the big meal.
 
Jennifer Fox provides a line-up of foods that are OFTEN included on traditional holiday tables in a slideshow article for ACTIVE.com, “The 15 Healthiest Holiday Foods”.  Only two of the suggestions are accompanied by recipes; calories-saving preparation tips are offered with the others. 
 
Fox’s approach emphasizes that generally, ‘healthy’ dishes tend to require the fewest additions to the plain, main, ingredient. The natural flavors of vegetables, fruit, and meat can be heighted with spices, while the addition of fat, sugar, and salt can be kept to a minimum. Thankfully there are recipes to follow for the whole-grain gingerbread pancakes and potato pancakes, which look yummy. 
 
She takes an array of standard but colorful, nutrient-rich holiday favorites that might be considered ho-hum tired, and elevates them through this approach: fresh veggie starter, roasted carrots, steamed green beans, cooked collard greens, roast turkey, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie dessert.  We would pay top dollar for these dishes, pictured in her article, in an upscale “farm-to-table” style restaurant.
 
Stuffing (my family calls it dressing) is something that can be prepared in a manner to make it ‘healthier’, but sometimes deserves not to be altered too much. The best advice might be urge guests to cut back on serving size and enjoy, in my opinion. 
 
She throws in some surprises (we won’t give them away here); click through the entire piece to learn more.
 
WORD TO THE WISE: If you’re a picky-athlete-eater guest, get off your self-righteous behind and offer to bring a few dishes like those in Fox’s article. AND bring a bottle of nice red wine and some chocolates with you.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
https://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/the-15-healthiest-holiday-foods