- On WTVP's "Docs on Call", appetizers, desserts, stuffing, gravy, alcohol, all things that contribute to weight gain during the holidays.

Coming up.

Advice on how to enjoy yourself while taking care of yourself.

(inspiring music) (inspiring music continues) Good evening and thanks for joining us.

I'm Mark Welp.

Studies show the average person gains about half a pound to one and a half pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

Tonight we wanna give you tips on how to enjoy yourself at holiday dinners and parties without paying too big of a price.

We're joined by two oncology dieticians from the OSF Healthcare Cancer Institute here in Peoria, Sydney Russell and Ashley Mathewson.

Good to see you both.

- Good to see you.

- Thanks for having us.

- Thanks for coming in.

And boy, this is the time of year where we are all tempted to overindulge and overindulge and overindulge.

Sydney, I'll start with you.

How should people plan, or how can they plan before they go to these parties and dinners as to not eat too much and eat things they shouldn't?

- Sure, yeah, that's an excellent question.

And I think it really starts early.

So in the morning, have a good breakfast with protein and fiber foods, and then continue to have consistent meals throughout the day.

That kind of sounds like it's counterintuitive.

Sometimes we think we need to save up calories for that big meal at dinner, but actually eating consistently throughout the day can help keep our blood sugars balanced and reduce those cravings so that we're not overly ravenous by the time we get to that dinner.

So those are, you know, some really good things to keep in mind.

Also, you know, being able to kind of start small, you know, thinking ahead to that dinner game plan, right?

Game plan for those kinds of small goals you can set with yourself.

Maybe trying to get two to three fruits or vegetables in at the appetizer, and then those fiber foods at dinner too.

And then filling in with those really delicious holiday favorites.

- You mentioned fiber.

Does fiber make you feel full?

- It does, yes.

Fiber helps us feel fuller for longer, and when paired with those protein foods, it's a powerhouse.

So really emphasizing that fiber can be helpful for those blood sugars and helping us feel full too.

- Ashley, anything you want to add to that?

- Yeah, I was just gonna add, when we're talking about fiber, a lot of people are kind of unsure, well, where do I get fiber?

So you can get them from a variety of foods that, you know, we eat every day; hopefully, we're eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

That's a main source of fiber.

We're also getting 'em from the whole grains.

So that's why we kind of push for more of those whole grains versus the refined white grains, because you're getting more fiber that's gonna fill you up a little bit more.

You're also gonna get those from some of the lean proteins, like beans.

So anytime we can sneak those into our dishes, that's gonna just help with that satiety and making us feel fuller longer.

- Okay, I have to admit, I'm one of those people that would fast before the big party so that I can eat all the good stuff I don't get to eat during the rest of the year.

- Sure, yeah.

- It's really tempting.

Okay, so don't do that.

Tell us, what are some of the least healthiest things that we're gonna be seeing in our holiday dinners and parties?

- Yes, so those things that may not make us feel very good after we overindulge in them are gonna be those heavier dishes.

So think about like anything with like a lot of creams, you know, using things with a lot of butter, those fried foods.

So it's more about also the preparations.

You know, anything deep fried and a lot of cheeses and cream sauces is really the things that, you know, taste good, but are not gonna always make us feel, you know, as good afterwards and are gonna be very high in calories.

- What are some things that we may not think about that are actually good for you, that you may want to indulge in a little bit?

- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

So when we kind of think about, you know, getting a variety of foods in there, you know, we talked about the fiber-containing foods.

So those fruits, vegetable-based, you know, dishes, those side dishes are gonna be great.

But also those lean proteins.

So turkey, low-sodium ham, incorporating some of those beans or lentils or other plant-based proteins into our dishes, you'd be surprised.

We can really make 'em taste good, even though they may not be the traditional, you know, heavy meat, heavy fat meals that we may prepare traditionally.

So, yeah.

- I think another fun food to add to that list on the sweet side of things is dark chocolate.

That's kind of a hidden treasure there.

Not a lot of people tend to think it might have more nutritional content to it, but compared to those milk chocolates or white chocolates, it has vitamins and minerals to it.

And if it's lower in sugar, that could be a really helpful addition to desserts or, you know, even flavor for those fruits or, you know, drizzle on top of all kinds of fun stuff too.

- Sure.

You both kind of touched a little bit on portion control.

Let's kind of go over how people can use that.

And you know, I've heard tricks like, hey, you know, use a smaller plate 'cause you can put less things on it unless you're like me and you go vertical.

(both laughing) But talk about portion control and kind of, you know, what we should be eating and how much of it.

- Yeah, that's another great question too.

And when I talk about portion control with patients, I like to point them to a resource called MyPlate.

It's by the USDA and it gives us a visual for how to structure our plates to include all of the food groups and ultimately promote that satiety factor.

So a quarter of the plate is your protein source, whether it's lean animal sources or plant-based protein sources.

Another quarter should be the grains, optimally whole grains most often.

And then the remaining half of the plate should be fruits and vegetables.

There is room for dairy too; that could be low-fat, you know, milk, it could be low-fat Greek yogurt.

It could on the plant-based side also be soy milk and things like that.

But I like to give that as a resource for patients as a way to say, hey, you know, portion control is not about trying to cut out or reduce those groups of food or, you know, specific foods.

It's about maximizing the benefits from all of them.

But I think in regards to, you know, kind of your comments about the plate, I do really like to encourage a method that I've called the clock method.

So you might have heard people, you know, taking a bite of food then putting their fork down in between bites.

This is similar, but I think it helps us get more in tune with those sensory aspects when we're eating.

So I like to encourage people to take a bite of, you know, the first item on their plate and while it's up close, you know, try and smell it, you know, when it's in your mouth, try and taste it, you know, find the texture, savor it a little bit more, and then move on to that next food item on your plate and just work your way around taking in all of those sensory components.

But I found that that also really helps people to slow down too and enjoy, ultimately helping with that portion control piece.

- Let's talk about serving food, making food, things like that.

Whether you're having the party or you're bringing a dish to the party.

Tell us about some substitutions we could use.

And I know a lot about this just because I've been able to interview so many dieticians over the years and I've always heard that using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a good idea.

Tell us a little bit about that.

- Yeah, so specifically talking about Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, what you're doing is you're actually maximizing that protein content in about a half a cup.

You're getting about 15 grams of protein, give or take.

And so that's also gonna help with satiety.

So talking about fiber and satiety, protein's also gonna make us feel fuller longer.

You're also getting some really good benefits of some probiotics in there as well, which can help with our gut.

Obviously, you know, when we're eating some heavier foods, sometimes we can have some gut issues and so that also helps with that, feed that good bacteria in there.

But yeah, in addition to that, there's a lot of other things that we can swap.

You know, when we think about the traditional charcuterie board, right, we got a lot of cheeses and crackers.

Don't forget to add some protein foods there too.

So we can add some hummus with our veggies for something, you know, a little bit different there, adding lots of veggies, you know, put the rainbow on there because we're getting a variety of nutrients in each of those kind of different colored vegetables there.

So yeah, just a few there.

- Any substitute ideas that you have?

- Yeah, so when it comes to, you know, our fruit-based desserts, a lot of times we're kind of opting for those in, you know, juice and high sugar syrups.

But fresh or frozen fruit, specifically frozen, can be just as healthful.

It's frozen at peak ripeness and if you find one with no added sugar to it, that can be a really beneficial swap there while still getting all that good fruity, delicious flavor.

- Absolutely.

And even with like baked goods too, you can swap out some of the sugar that's in your baked goods for applesauce.

And so, you know, again, you won't really taste a difference.

You know, I don't necessarily go to the extreme saying putting black beans in your brownies, although I know some people do.

I've tried it once and it was not for me, but if it's for you, go for it.

But yeah, just simple, simple swaps that you can do to really boost up the nutrition and the vitamin content in your foods while still feeling like you're enjoying some of those, you know, traditional foods at the holidays.

- Sure.

Let's talk about alcohol because that can also be something that people partake in at their parties and dinners.

Some people because they like it, some people because they need it to get through the family dinner.

(both laughing) But let's talk about alcohol, the amount people drink, and kind of what the difference is between, you know, your wines, your beers, your spirits, things like that.

- Sure.

So yeah, just like you said, a lot of us are reaching for alcohol around the holidays to de-stress, but physiologically, alcohol actually prompts our stress responses in our bodies.

It can increase our cortisol, which is a stress hormone; it can promote inflammation.

So it might actually have that opposite effect in that kinda long term.

Whereas, you know, the feeling of that alcohol is acute and short.

So anyway, being able to opt for mocktail options is really, really helpful.

They do have those anti-inflammatory benefits to them if they've got things like fruit or cinnamon, ginger, hydration, you know, sparkling water, things like that.

As oncology dieticians, we're often encouraging mocktails over those traditional cocktails because we know from the American Institute of Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society that alcohol intake can also contribute to that cancer risk.

So, you know, mocktails, we really enjoy those and encourage those.

But if you do choose to drink, then we would encourage things that are light, like your spritzers or like your low-sugar cocktails too.

Generally, the limits for men are one drink a day, or I'm sorry, two drinks a day.

The limits for women are one drink a day, and that would include, you know, 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or an ounce and a half of your distilled liquors too.

- Does alcohol have an effect on the way your body metabolizes food at all?

And is that a positive or negative thing?

- Yeah, so potentially, and also we, you know, think about, you know, when we have that alcohol, our inhibition, right, is decreased a little bit.

And so we might find that we are actually eating a lot more discretionary calories.

So those calories that maybe, you know, are those sweets or those really salty, you know, highly processed foods too.

So you know, kind of that aspect as well, drinking alcohol is that we tend to eat a little bit more outside of what our body really needs, so.

- Sure, and you know, you mentioned that you're an oncology dieticians, so let's talk about people with different medical conditions.

If you're hosting a dinner and you're preparing it and you have a relative, friend, whoever who is undergoing treatment for cancer or is a survivor, what should you be thinking about?

- Yeah, so as far as, you know, if you have somebody going through treatment, oftentimes, you know, their needs are actually much higher.

They need a lot more calories, they need a lot more protein.

They deal with a lot of symptoms from whatever treatment they're going through.

So they might have nausea, they might have taste changes.

So you know, that favorite dish that you've maybe made for them in years past, now this year, they just, it makes them nauseous to think about it, right?

So it has nothing to do with you or how you're preparing those foods, but just kind of, you know, reaching out to them in advance and saying, you know, I wanna make sure I prepare something or multiple things if you can for them that, you know, sounds good and that's gonna be really beneficial for them.

I mean, it's gonna go a long way in meeting those needs so they still feel included, even though, you know, their selection of things that they can tolerate might be kind of limited.

- Sydney, what about maybe someone who is diabetic?

What kind of options do they need?

- Sure, yeah.

So really focusing in on those fiber-rich dishes.

You know, fiber-rich sides, having those roasted vegetables available, having the fruit salad type of, you know, components available too.

Lots of good lean protein sources to help maintain that blood sugar.

So like your turkey or like your chicken or like your plant-based options and leaving those creamier sauces, maybe higher sugar kind of desserts off to the side so that they have the ability to choose, you know, how much or what goes on their plate to top those kinds of foods.

- A lot of people these days are vegan, but that's pretty easy to deal with.

But what about somebody maybe that has a gluten sensitivity?

- Yeah, so personally, my sister has a gluten sensitivity, so for many years now we've adjusted, you know, our family gatherings and our dishes to make it gluten-free because nobody wants to sit there and feel like, oh, there's nothing I can eat except for this, like, one green bean, you know, dish or whatever.

So again, just reaching out to them, asking them what, you know, their specific dietary needs are.

And then, you know, as far as a gluten sensitivity, you would wanna avoid anything with wheat, rye, or barley.

With a lot of the other food allergies that somebody might have, you can look, you know, kind of on the back of the food label.

And actually the top eight most common allergens are gonna be in bold on the ingredients list.

So that might be a key, you know, area that you can look at.

And then, you know, yeah, if they're vegan, they're vegetarian, just omitting those meat portions.

Dairy you can easily swap out.

Now there's, you know, hundreds of different dairy alternative options, whether it's almond milk, soy milk, oat milk.

So you know, when you make those mashed potatoes, just maybe add that milk alternative.

And you know, again, just having that open discussion with them so there's at least a couple options for them.

And then the other thing, if they have a true allergy versus something they're just avoiding, maybe having those dishes a little bit off to the side, so that way if you've got, you know, a whole kind of table of different options and we all tend to get a little sloppy and excited when we're filling up our plate and things can kind of drop into different bowls, kind of think of like a food buffet, right?

Those aren't very safe and sanitary for those with allergies.

But yeah, just having those off to the side so then that way we make sure that they're safe and, you know, have no reactions.

- Great tips.

What about consuming water?

Is that something you should consume more of maybe during the holidays or maybe the day of a party?

- That's a great question too, yeah.

So especially with, you know, the higher salt foods or maybe higher sugar foods, definitely consuming a little bit more water would be helpful to offset and to keep our hydration in balance.

Generally, I recommend at least 64 ounces of water or hydrating fluids per day.

And yes, if you're drinking lots of salt or you're eating lots of salt and high sugar foods, it could be more.

- That's so hard to get 64 ounces in.

- It sure is.

- It can be.

- While we're talking about that, any tips on how to do that?

Maybe spruce up your water a little bit.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- I can go ahead and take that.

Yeah, so adding a little bit of flavor.

I know me personally, when I add a little bit of flavor to my water, I tend to drink it a lot quicker.

I also find that I personally don't drink very quickly if it's cold versus if it's more room temperature or even warm that I will drink it a lot faster.

So kind of, you know, thinking about things that, well, what makes me drink a little bit faster?

Maybe it's drinking through a straw.

That might also, you know, encourage you to drink a little bit more or adding, you know, some fruit, some lemon juice to your water or just some very simple natural ways to enhance that flavor.

And then the last thing I would recommend is, you know, may seem silly, but like setting a timer that goes off, you know, maybe every hour, okay, I need a sip.

Especially when, you know, you're like hyper-focused on something or certain times of the day where you find that, you know, you go off a very long time without drinking any water.

So finding some of those strategies that make you want to drink it and then also remind you, you know, to drink more regularly.

- Are there any kind of foods that we see during the holidays that as a dietician you're just like, stay away from it or have very little of it?

Anything in particular?

- I think that, you know, the holidays are such a time of nostalgia and tradition and even cultural, you know, elements to it too.

And so there's nothing that I would say is off limits.

I think it all just comes down to this context of balanced eating and trying to choose those foods that are going to be nourishing and going to be nutritious more often, or pairing them with those foods that are gonna be heavier, maybe creamier, maybe saltier.

So you know, really enjoy your food, enjoy those foods that maybe you're only eating once a year, right?

Maybe you're looking forward to grandma's peanut butter chocolate pie, right?

And it's to die for and you wanna be able to celebrate that, enjoy that with your family.

But again, within that context of balance too.

- Yeah, I usually say the only foods that I have you avoid is if you have an allergy to them.

Obviously, you know, like she said, balance is key.

So, you know, we know how we feel after we have, you know, maybe a couple slices of pie and, you know, some really heavy food.

We're not gonna maybe feel the greatest, but did it give you joy and did it, you know?

Yes.

It's for that comfort as well during the holidays.

It's more about how often are we doing this?

So if it's that once a year Thanksgiving or once a year Christmas, like enjoy the holidays, it's more of that repetitive behavior that might then lead to that weight gain that you were talking about over the course of these holiday months.

- Yeah, and you don't wanna insult the host of the party.

- Right.

- Mm-hmm.

- At least that's the excuse I use.

What about after the holidays?

You know, you've been indulging a lot more in that month and a half than you usually do.

Any tips on how to kind of get back on course?

- Yeah, so I would say avoid crash diets, avoid, you know, trying to cut out food groups, trying to have a 180 type of approach to it and opt for, you know, trying to find the balance again, trying to reestablish a routine, set sustainable goals.

So maybe that's incorporating a new fruit or a new vegetable into your weekly routine and then trying to increase that as the weeks go by rather than trying to completely, you know, rearrange your whole diet.

So really trying to emphasize those sustainable changes are gonna be really helpful.

- Yeah, I agree with that.

I definitely think that small sustainable changes over time are gonna make a big impact, right?

So we tend to think like January 1st is when we get that gym membership, this is when we're following these very strict diets, and then maybe two to four weeks into it we're, you know, maybe worse off actually than we were before.

And so setting those realistic goals and having a buddy too, a buddy system, I think is really great.

Hold each other accountable, but also have fun with it too.

And realize that perfectionism is not the route to go when it comes to diet and exercise.

Even as dieticians, you know, we are humans too, so you know, you're gonna find us eating the desserts, you're gonna find us having the occasional drink, so, you know, definitely just setting, you know, some realistic expectations as you go into the new year.

- I heard a quote recently that I really liked and it was "Aim for patterns instead of perfection."

And I think that that is the approach that could be a really good motto going into the new year.

- Sure.

A lot of people are gonna be, like we said, going to dinners and parties and maybe eating a lot more homemade things that they're not used to eating.

When we're preparing foods as far as, you know, food safety, what do we need to be thinking about?

- Yeah, so especially for our cancer population too, you know, they are immunocompromised a lot of times and so they might, you know, be more susceptible to getting a foodborne illness.

So we definitely wanna make sure, you know, no matter what day of the year it is or who we're serving, that we are following those guidelines.

So first and foremost, making sure we're washing our hands, right?

Washing 'em for 30 seconds before you touch any food or prepare any food of any sort.

Make sure you've got nice clean counters and then, you know, when it comes to preparing the food, you wanna wash your fruits and vegetables.

We don't necessarily need to use any fancy soaks or sprays or anything like that, but just some, you know, good water and scrubbing if it's got a tough skin like potatoes on the outside.

And then when it comes to preparing our dishes, you know, there are guidelines as far as the meat, typically you're gonna be safer at 165, so getting a cheap meat thermometer and checking the middle of that meat, not the surface, but the middle of it is just gonna ensure that, you know, we've killed off any potential bacteria that might be in there.

- And there's debates I know in every house about leftovers, how long you should keep them.

Things like that.

What can you tell us about that?

- Yeah, so if it's stored in an airtight container in your fridge, proper temperature, usually it's about two to four days that you can safely continue to eat that.

But after that would recommend, you know, parting ways with it.

- Gotcha.

And no double dipping.

(both laughing) - Right.

No, double dipping.

Is there anything that we haven't talked about that you think folks should know about their diets during the holidays and staying safe and healthy?

- Yeah, I would say just, you know, trust your gut as far as, no pun intended there, - Mine lies all the time.

(group laughing) - Yes, but, you know, again, you know, balance is kind of eating in moderation is, you know, not every day of the week and so, you know, enjoy the holidays without the guilt.

So, you know, and while still indulging in some of those things that you enjoy and that are your traditions, and it's just one day, right?

So that's not gonna, you know, throw you over the edge and make you gain 20 pounds, right?

It's those small increments, those habits that we do long term that really make a big impact.

- And I would say too, you know, as you're maybe eating more salty foods, more sweet foods, drinking some alcohol, you're gonna notice the scale change a little bit.

You know, you might notice fluctuations where, oh my gosh, yesterday I was three pounds lighter, now I am, you know, moved up.

Generally that can be linked to fluid, right?

When we're eating salty foods and we're drinking alcohol, our body's trying to hold onto fluid to keep us hydrated and to keep us balanced.

So my message would be, don't panic when you see that; it's likely, you know, related to fluid.

And once you return back to your kind of normal routine of eating, that can kind of subside.

But that also brings in, you know, that necessity for let's not crash diet.

You know, let's not revamp our diets and maybe throw off that fluid balance even more.

Just kind of try and sustainably get back to your normal routine.

And that can be helpful.

- And I guess it doesn't hurt maybe to throw a little exercise in there.

- Absolutely.

- A lot of people, you know, once they stuff themselves, oh, let's go walk around the block at least.

- Yes.

- At the very least.

- Absolutely, absolutely.

Yeah, we think about, you know, we blame it on the tryptophan right at Thanksgiving.

I know we're past Thanksgiving now, but you know, where we crash and we're all just, you know, out, at least my family gatherings, that's how it tends to be.

And so, yeah, just saying, hey, I know it's cold, but let's put on a hat and gloves.

Let's get out and get some fresh sunshine, some little bit of vitamin D even though we don't get as much in the winter months.

And that'll just boost your mood, if anything, you know, it'll just get outside and get some fresh air instead of just feeling, you know, kind of dead in the chair there.

So, yeah.

- Absolutely.

Well, we appreciate all the advice.

It's really needed around this time of year for sure.

And I'm glad that, you know, you're not telling folks to just don't eat this and don't eat that.

- Right.

- Right.

- You know, we gotta treat ourselves well during the holiday.

- 100%, yeah.

- Give ourselves a bit of a break from the rest of the year.

- Yes, absolutely.

- Mm-hmm.

- Sydney Russell and Ashley Mathewson are oncology dieticians with the OSF Healthcare Cancer Institute.

Thanks for everything.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- Thanks for having us.

- And you can share this segment again with your friends and family before the holidays.

Just go to wtvp.org and you can find out about future show topics on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

And we always wanna know your questions and topic suggestions.

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Thanks for watching tonight and take care of yourself and your family.

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