Three Ways to Bring Health into the Holiday
Inspired by the USDA’s “Ten Tips to Make your Holiday Healthy”
#1. Colorful meals make healthy meals! Not only does the array of colors look appealing, eating a rainbow of colors ensures we are getting a variety of nutrients. A colorful recipe from the UF IFAS Family Nutrition Program (FNP) “Cooking Matters” course is the Veggie Wrap. Thinly shredded veggies like radishes, bell peppers, carrots, lemon zest, greens, and fresh herbs like cilantro are layered on top of a whole-wheat tortilla with a delicious spread (like avocado and yogurt or hummus). Once rolled and sliced on an angle, you have colorful pinwheel sandwiches or as my kids say, “Kids Sushi.” Children love to be involved in shredding, layering, and rolling so plan ahead and make meal prep a fun and meaningful family activity.
#2. Help the whole community celebrate. To find a place where holiday meals are served in Pinellas County or to participate in a holiday food drive visit the Hunger Map at http://networktoendhunger.org/ or call 2-1-1 and ask for the Pinellas Holiday Meal Provider List.
#3. Plan for holiday leftovers. Plan to make delicious new meals with your holiday leftovers and make a plan to share those leftovers if there are more than you can eat in a given week. The holiday season is a notorious time for overbuying food and studies show that 40% of all food goes in the trash.
For more tips on having a healthy holiday, visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tipsmake-healthier-holiday-choices
Wishing you and your family a healthy, generous, sustainable holiday season!
By Mark J. Trujillo, St Petersburg resident and State Coordinator for the University of Florida Family Nutrition Program (FNP) Cooking Matters Series.
