GREENSBORO, N.C. — The holidays are quickly approaching. As you're planning your holiday meals, don't forget to include some healthy options on the menu.
Making healthy food choices should also be something we all try to incorporate in our daily lives. We spoke with Angela Johnston, a registered dietitian with Cone Health Nutrition and Diabetes Education Services.
People can easily get sidetracked from diets and healthy eating during the holidays. Johnston said vegetables can make a big difference. If you fill your plate primarily with vegetables first, then go back for the other foods like turkey and mashed potatoes, you can eat healthier.
Overeating is easy to do on Thanksgiving. Johnston said people often avoid eating all day, which causes them to be starving by Thanksgiving dinner. That makes people eat too much.
Johnston said you should eat breakfast on Thanksgiving day. She said you can skip the snacks to make sure you're still plenty hungry but not dying for food.
Healthy eating shouldn't stop after the holidays. People can often find themselves making poor choices with leftovers. Johnston suggests freezing leftovers right away. If you don't see it, you're less likely to eat it.
Cone Health offers plenty of healthy eating help. Cone Health licensed, registered dietitians can help you change your eating habits and provide support to make positive changes to improve your health.
A new program at Cone Health MedCenter for Women provides healthy food, shows women how to make better food choices, and connects them with community food resources. The Dr. Miguel and Denese Brito Nutrition & Education Center at MedCenter for Women is designed to improve access to healthy and nutritious food for patients and their families experiencing food insecurity, hardship, or chronic disease. More information can be found here. along with information on an upcoming Food Donation Drive on Nov. 22.
