This holiday season, make your favorite meals do double-time.
Sure, the holiday season is notorious for rich, indulgent dishes and desserts. But what if you looked at those dishes as delicious fuel packed with nutrients that will help you perform and recover?
“Some of my best workouts are during the holidays because of the food,” says Virginia-based sports dietitian Kristen Chang, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.S.D. “The surplus of energy can be beneficial.”
For many, the holiday season is also the off-season. So while that may mean fewer intense workouts, it also gives your body time to rest and recoup, Chang says.
“For me, the combination of more rest and extra fuel leads to breakthrough workouts,” she says, recommending people pair heavy dishes with lighter ones to balance everything out.
She also emphasizes the fact that the holiday season—a few hearty meals—is just one moment in time and not to get hung up on whether you “should” or “shouldn’t” eat something you enjoy.
“Comfort foods have a place in our diets,” she says. “One day of overindulging, so to speak, isn’t going to break anything. It’s about consistency over time, just like training. Just like one ‘bad’ workout won’t affect the entirety of your performance or progression.”
Below, Chang weighs in on some of her favorite nutrient-packed holiday ingredients that make healthy Christmas dishes.
Hummus Dip
Before you head to the dinner table, appetizers are in order. Pair your favorite crudités—carrots, peppers, and broccoli are good sources of vitamin C and fibre—with a protein-packed hummus dip. A fun (and seasonal) spin on hummus, Chang says, is pumpkin hummus. When you add canned pumpkin to your chickpea-based app, you’ll get added color, vitamin A, and fibre.
As a bonus, hummus is a tasty vehicle for munching on extra veggies before the main event.
Fish
While Christmas dinner is often synonymous with ham, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-inspired Christmas Eve dinner highlighting, well, seven types of fish and seafood. Fish and seafood are high-quality sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. As any runner can attest, protein is crucial for muscle health, and omega-3s can help fight inflammation associated with hard workouts, Chang says.
While baked salmon isn’t technically part of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, Chang makes it the star of her Christmas dinner. Salmon is also a good source of vitamin D.
“Right now we can all benefit from more foods with vitamin D,” she says.
Chang’s go-to salmon dish is straight from pro runner Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky’s second cookbook, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.: salmon with miso butter.
“We all need a certain amount of healthy fat in our diets,” Chang says. “Fats provide a sense of satiety, they’re a source of nutrients, and we need fat to help absorb fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.”
The miso, she says, enhances the flavor of the butter and is a good source of gut- and immune-friendly probiotics.
Whipped Squash
Thanksgiving and Christmas really embrace the mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole. But Chang likes whipped squash, for a different spin on the classics. Or, she says, mix whipped sweet potatoes with squash and top with pecans.
Squash is a nutrient powerhouse. Its bright orange color is thanks to an abundance of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Squash is also a complex carbohydrate (like potatoes) that feeds your muscles before a long run or tough workout.
Pecans are a good source of fat and plant-based protein, plus who doesn’t like a little crunch?
Brussels Sprouts
You either love ‘em or hate ‘em, but Brussels sprouts are veggies that really pack a nutritional punch. They’re a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli, and offer protein, fiber, vitamin C, folate, and a whopping amount of vitamin K—crucial for wound-healing and bone health.
“Brussels sprouts are a popular holiday dish, often paired with pomegranate seeds,” Chang says. The seeds, by the way, are antioxidant heavyweights.
For a Christmassy salad, toss shredded kale and Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries, almonds, and balsamic vinegar.
