Here's To The Holidays


5 Most Fattening Foods (And What You Should Eat)

By Tom Bonanti

  

 

Maintaining good nutrition is all about making sensible daily choices. Eating to rev up your metabolism, burn fat, and build muscle requires planning, preparation and sacrifice. When the holidays arrive it’s hard not to throw caution to the wind and enjoy wonderful fattening foods. Just remember many people actually gain five to 10 pounds during the festive period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. In an attempt to guide our readers away from this weighty tendency, here is a list of holiday classics that are sure to prove lethal to your waistline and deadly to your diet. Avoid them at all costs.

Cheese balls make common hors d'oeuvres and snacks. Dipping crackers, chips and vegetables into these tasty, puffy little balls is irresistible. Once you start, you’re licked for good. One serving is a whopping 420 calories. The calories from fat are 320! A healthier option would be to bring a veggie tray and low fat salad dressing for dipping when you visit friends or attend a party.

Holiday boozing and binging are common traditions that will set your workouts back for sure, especially the boozing. A daily cocktail or glass of wine may be necessary for your sanity, but overdoing it can drain your energy, deplete your testosterone levels, and make you fat. Eggnog, a perennial holiday favorite, packs a total of 335 calories per serving and the fat calories are a delightful 247. Try a good vodka on the rocks with soda and a slice of lime instead.

Honey-glazed ham, roasted pork with pineapple, and prime rib are all terribly fattening and off limits, period! But did you know that the very popular roasted goose is even worse than all of the above? That one 6 oz. slice of sassy bird contains 784 calories with 465 of those coming from goose fat. Yuck! A more sensible choice is a lean, oven roasted turkey breast or one prepared in a crock pot with red potatoes and other vegetables.

Yams and sweet potatoes are great lower glycemic index carbohydrates, but not when they are mashed, covered in syrup, sprinkled with sugar and topped with butter and marshmallows. Total calories equal 419; fat calories come to 123. Try these babies with a little margarine and brown sugar and save yourself from lots of fat and calories.

Sure, Mom’s homemade apple pie is an American holiday tradition and it’s good for you. Wrong! One slice is 552 calories with a total of 230 fat calories. Just about every other type of pie—pecan, mince and cherry—are even more calorie dense! Try a fresh fruit cup with a dollop of fat free vanilla yogurt instead.

This depressing list of lethal holiday yummies could go on and on. If you don’t have the discipline to control yourself, then enjoy yourself in moderation. Get to the gym regularly this time of the year. Make healthy choices and embrace the season happily. Questions about workouts or nutrition contact TrainerTomB@ aol.com! 

 

TOM BONANTI IS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND
OWNER OF PUMP’N INC GYM AT 1271 NE 9TH AVENUE
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304, www.pumpnincgym.com.