Choose right, eat well this holiday season

[attach]7229[/attach]Eating the foods you love doesn’t mean having a healthy lifestyle has to take a backseat this holiday season. According to several local nutritionists and chefs, it’s all about creative and balanced planning, thinking about what and how much to consume, and adjusting recipes and meals.

Toronto-based chef Natalia Martinez, founder of Cookie Martinez — which specializes in healthy foods with a Latin American flair — is all about helping local residents make healthier eating choices.

“These are good for when you have a party, for appetizers,” she says, in the middle of baking a batch snack-sized empanadas, a personal holiday staple that she has filled with locally grown vegetables and free range chicken.

She makes empanadas for several food co-ops.

The introduction of foods from other cultures is only one option available to food-conscious types around the holidays.

For Talia Chai, a personal chef and nutritionist serving clients in Toronto, festive seasonal foods like sweet potato, squash and a litany of grains can provide healthy substitutes to traditional recipes.

“It can be a very personal thing,” says Chai.

Chai also recommends being strategic to keep bad eating in check.

“When you are in control of what you can eat, let’s say at home or on your way to a party, have a snack or even a light meal,” Chai says, adding high protein, fibre-rich meals are a good way to eat less during social gatherings.

However, that doesn’t mean enjoying traditional holiday delights are completely out of the question.

For Bev Callaghan, a Toronto-based registered dietician and co-author of the book Suppertime Survival, people can treat themselves to the occasional goodie.

“Shortbread is basically sugar, flour and butter,” says Callaghan, who does make small Christmas cakes for family and friends as gifts. “Are you going to change that? No.

“You’re not going to be having shortbread cookies every day of the year. You’re going to be having them maybe two or three times during the holiday season.

“So enjoy the real thing when it’s available and then during the rest of the year, if you do want to have something, then make up a healthier choice.”

Adding healthy sides to meals — steamed vegetables, mashed beans, and even empanadas — can be just as delicious as the usual high calorie foods.

Martinez, a native Colombian, scurries around the kitchen as she assembles her empanadas.

For her, the empanadas remind her of home, and she is constantly calling her family in Colombia to get her recipe just right. If you make them yourself, though, there is no exclusive rule to what can be included.

“In these empanadas, you can put whatever you want,” Martinez says.

Being conscious of healthier alternatives also applies to seasonal drinks, says Callaghan.

“If you have an egg-based eggnog with spirits, if you’re having it with, say, 2 percent or 1 percent milk, that’s going to be a lot lower-fat choice, as opposed to an eggnog that’s made with a heavier cream,” Callaghan says.

Chai recommends a tried-and-true method to fatty and sugary drinks: water.

“I recommend drinking at least one to two big glasses of water, preferably with some fresh lemon juice, which is good for the liver,” Chai says.

Although the steps you can take to eat well are numerous, striking a balance between dietary needs and the foods you desire is a good start for a healthier holiday.