Holidays often bring gatherings with lots of food, drink, and fun. This food may not always be the “healthiest” and is most likely outside of your normal diet and routine. Although it is okay to let loose and stray from your normal food, it doesn’t have to be the case. There are many ways to keep yourself nourished and satisfied while still enjoying the Holiday spreads.
Listed below are great sources of vital macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat). Some foods are more nutrient dense than others, but all are great options and offer plenty of benefits. During the upcoming get-togethers and celebrations, try to prioritize a few of the foods below before reaching for the sweets. If you are providing a dish or two, try and incorporate these foods.
Protein
Complete Protein – the following foods are “complete proteins” which mean they contain all of the essential amino acids.
- Wild-caught fish and seafood: salmon, sardines, anchovies, oysters
- Grassfed, pasture-raised, or wild-caught red meat: beef, bison, lamb, venison
- Pastured chicken or pork: for chicken, lower-fat cuts will be slighter higher in protein, but higher-fat cuts will be higher in nutrients (choose whichever fits your goals better)
- Grassfed dairy products: whole-milk, full-fat sources are ideal. Think cottage cheese, cheese, and yogurt.
- Pastured eggs
- Lentils
Incomplete Protein – protein sources that don’t contain all of the essential amino acids are labeled “incomplete proteins”. These are still good sources of protein but need to be supplemented or should be eaten as snacks rather than meals.
- Whole nuts and seeds: pepitas, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds
- Chickpeas
- Beans
- Some starchy and leafy vegetables
Carbohydrates
Choose a variety of fruits and veg from most dense carbs to least dense carbs in order to maximize your nutrient intake.
Most carb dense – 15+ grams per 100 g serving
- White potato: 37 g
- Plantains: 31 g
- Bananas: 23 g
- Sweet potato: 21 g
- Parsnips: 17 g
Moderately carb dense – 10-15 grams per 100 g serving
- Mangoes: 15 g
- Blueberries: 14 g
- Apples: 14 g
- Cherries: 12 g
- Oranges: 12 g
- Grapefruit: 11 g
- Carrots: 10 g
- Beets: 10 g
Least carb dense – <10 grams per 100 g serving
- Winter squash: 9 g
- Peppers: 7 g
- Broccoli: 7 g
- Green beans: 7 g
- Summer squash: 3-4 g
- Turnips: 6 g
- Cauliflower: 4 g
- Asparagus: 4 g
- Leafy greens: <3 g
Fat
Best fat-rich foods and cooking oils
- Avocado
- Full-fat dairy products
- Pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- Pastured eggs
- Wild-caught fatty fish and fish roe
- Coconut
- Cooking fats and oils: organic, unrefined and cold-pressed oils are ideal
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Fat from properly raised animals: tallow, lard, duck fat, schmaltz, butter and clarified butter/ghee
Fats to avoid – these are the least healthful and most unsafe. They are highly refined using heat and chemicals, lower in nutrients and antioxidants, and highly inflammatory.
- Margarine
- Shortening
- Fake butter spreads
- Oils: canola, vegetable, grapeseed, peanut, corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower
Bonus Nutrient: Iron
There are two types of iron in foods: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is found in meat and is the mos
t readily absorbed into the body (up to 30% absorption). Non-heme iron is found in plant-based foods and are still important to consume but have a lower absorption rate (between 2-10%). Combining heme and non-heme iron sources into your diet will increase your absorption rate. Foods rich in vitamin C (tomatoes, citrus fruits, and red, yellow, and orange peppers) can also help your body absorb iron.
Heme iron sources
- Organ meat
- Grass fed/pasture raised meat
- Pasture raised eggs
- Seafood: clams, oysters, muscles, sardines
Non-heme iron sources – cook or mostly cook your vegetables.
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
- Broccoli
- Turnip greens
- Collards
- Kale
- Chard
- Chocolate
- Pumpkin seeds (raw)
- Nuts
