The worst holiday foods
‘Tis the season to indulge. With holiday parties, family meals and decadent gift baskets tempting us, it’s tough to make healthy decisions this time of year.
While an allowance for holiday eats should always exist — everything in moderation, even moderation — some foods are worse than the rest.
Here are the worst holiday foods, according to 'Eat This, Not That’s David Zinczenko'. Eat sparingly. Or join a gym in the New Year.
Eggnog
The calorie counts differ — as do serving sizes — but most eggnogs on grocery-store shelves are not waistline friendly. Expect up to 360 calories per cup of sugary, fatty goodness when you sip this holiday drink. (This is before spiking it, of course.)
Pour a small glass, or try a lower fat version, like the PC Blue Menu Rich & Creamy Eggnog, which has 8 fewer grams of fat — and 80 fewer calories per cup! — than the full-fat version.
Don’t be fooled by the word “organic.” Essentially, organic eggnog is just organic junk food. Organic Valley’s Ultra Pasteurized Eggnog has 20 grams of fat in one cup.
[See also: Festive cocktail recipes]
Holiday Hot Drinks
Order a grande Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and you’ve ordered a meal’s worth of calories (410) and a whopping 54 grams of sugar.
Compare this to a grande caffe mocha, which clocks in at a more reasonable 220 calories — if you stick with skim milk and hold the whipped cream. A peppermint flavour shot, or a candy cane used as a stir stick can give you that holiday-esque aroma.
This isn’t just a Starbucks thing either — all sweetened specialty drinks this time of year are scary to look at, nutrition-wise. Second Cup’s Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate, without whipped cream, has 410 calories in 16 ounces.
Holiday Muffins
Most store-bought muffins are just cupcakes in disguise. While cinnamon and maple goodness is tempting at the coffee shop, the goodies are probably better made in your own kitchen.
A slice of Holiday Gingerbread Loaf at Starbucks has 14 grams of fat and 440 calories in it, which is nothing compared to Coffee Time muffins: all of their full-fat muffins are 650 calories or more each.
Candy
Whether you love candy canes, rum balls, frosted sugar cookies, or you’re the one person in the office with a thing for fruit cake, the holidays manage to accommodate everyone’s cravings. Keep in mind that even an innocent-looking nut tray is packed with fat and salt, that the fruit cake’s butter, sugar and dried fruits aren’t exactly healthy ingredients, and candy canes help keep your local dentist in business.
Your favourite confectionery items are suddenly available in red and green — and in mega-sized packaging. So if you’re used to eating the whole bag of M&Ms, ration out a few in a separate dish to keep from overdosing on sugar.
Plan your splurges; don’t indulge daily.
Holiday Ice Cream Treats
Dairy Queen Reindeer Bites Blizzard probably tastes very good. Too bad about the 950 calories and 39 grams of fat in this sinful treat. Your holiday calorie budget just doesn’t have room for something of this magnitude.
A better option? PC Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge Crackle is a Canadian favourite. It’s not a health food by any means, but if you can muster up a little portion control, there’s just 180 calories in a half-cup serving.
Holiday sandwiches and holiday breakfasts are also ranked among the grab-and-go worst foods for you. Read what to avoid if you find yourself at IHOP or Denny’s over the holidays here.
What sinful treat do you find impossible to resist this time of year?
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