I'm a Dietitian & I Never Eat These 5 Unhealthy Holiday Foods

The streets are sparkling with twinkling lights, shops are overflowing with gift ideas, and grocery aisles are stocked with holiday baking and cooking essentials—it's truly the most wonderful time of the year!

But with the holiday season comes a wave of rich, indulgent, and calorie-packed meals, drinks, and desserts, making it tough to stick to a balanced diet. Don't worry, I'm not here to play the Grinch and tell you to avoid all your holiday favorites. You can absolutely enjoy them in moderation without long-term effects on your health. That said, digging into Grandma's holiday cookies with a mug of spiked eggnog every single night in December isn't the healthiest move.

As a dietitian, there are a few popular holiday foods I personally avoid. If these happen to be your favorites, that's totally fine—just enjoy them mindfully, watch your portions, and balance them with healthier choices. Below, I've outlined five holiday foods I skip and how you can navigate this festive season a little more healthfully. Read on, and for more ways to be healthier this season, don't miss 5 Delicious Holiday Recipes Under 500 Calories That Won't Derail Your Weight Loss.

Holiday Cookies

Holiday cookies seem endless this time of year, and I'll admit—there's nothing like a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. If you've ever been gifted a box of cookies or stood around the dessert table long enough, you know how hard it is to just eat one.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

However, pounding back multiple cookies in one sitting can have you toppling over the daily recommended amount for added sugar and saturated fat, leading to blood sugar spikes and putting your cholesterol at risk.

Most cookies are made with butter, sugar, and refined flour—ingredients with little nutritional value. Plus, many cookies are so large they contain multiple servings, for example, Crumbl cookies pack anywhere from 600 to 800 calories per cookie.

To keep it healthier, watch portion sizes. If you enjoy baking, consider reducing the sugar by a third (you won't notice much difference) and swap butter for healthier fats like canola oil or nut butter. You can also use whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour for more nutrients and fiber.

 The 25 Unhealthiest Cookies in America

Eggnog

One drink that always makes a comeback after hibernating for 11 months is eggnog. This sweet, thick, and classic holiday drink contains milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and sometimes a splash of liquor like rum or brandy.

But eggnog packs a hefty amount of empty calories and contains nearly as many calories as a meal. A one-cup serving packs 400 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, and 48 grams of sugar. It's also high in saturated fats and contains almost a day's limit of added sugar.

Eggnog is also made with raw egg yolks, which can increase risk of contracting a food-borne illness. Finally, if your carton or recipe of eggnog also includes alcohol, that's another source of empty calories.

Enjoy eggnog in moderation by keeping portions small and ensuring your recipe or store-bought version uses pasteurized eggs to stay safe.

 I Tried 5 Store-Bought Eggnogs & the Best Was Light and Nutty

Bacon-Wrapped Appetizers

Bacon often makes an appearance on the holiday table, whether it's enjoyed at breakfast or wrapped around appetizers like around mini hot dogs aka pigs in a blanket. You might also see bacon wrapped around a hunk of cheese, buttery croissant or piece of fruit.

However, bacon is very high in fat, and not the healthy kind. If you've ever cooked bacon, you've likely seen the amount of oil that ends up in the pan. A 3-ounce serving of bacon contains nearly 400 calories, 30 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat and 1,430 milligrams of sodium. Along with its less than heart-healthy fat content, bacon also packs a high amount of sodium, which can be worrisome for your blood pressure. Now if your bacon slice is wrapped around a hot dog, hunk of cheese or croissant, as you might assume, the calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium continue to go up. For example, one pig in a blanket contains 264 calories, 17.7 grams of total fat, 16 grams of carbs, and 602 milligrams of sodium.

If you love bacon, I recommend sticking to just one or two slices and skip the hot dog, cheese or croissant it's wrapped around.

Fudge

Often boxed up with a bow, fudge is another popular sweet treat gifted by many and enjoyed around the holiday season. From peanut butter swirled fudge to crushed candy canes on top, there's countless variations.

You might think fudge is chocolate-based and therefore healthy, right? Well, technically fudge is mostly made from sugar, cream or milk, butter. So if you eat a few squares of it, you might quickly hit your discretionary calorie limit for the day, as one ounce of fudge contains 123 calories, 3.8 grams of fat, and 20 grams of sugar. And since it's packed with sugar and fat, it provides very little nutrition to you.

So keep portion sizes of fudge in check and consider breaking off a piece of dark chocolate instead to quell a chocolate craving.

 10 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Chocolate Cake

Pecan Pie

No shame to pecans, they are a heart-healthy nut packed with a trio of good-for-you nutrients: unsaturated fat, dietary fiber and protein. However, when you mix them into a pie filling loaded with butter, sugar, a liquid sweetener like corn syrup or molasses, a single slice of pecan pie can contain as many calories as an entire meal.

One slice of pecan pie has 541 calories, 22.2 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 79 grams of total carbohydrates and 33.5 grams of sugar. To make matters worse, it's housed in a buttery, refined flour crust and often topped with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, turning it into a calorie bomb of a dessert.

If pecan pie is your favorite holiday food, cut yourself a small slice and consider skipping the extra toppings to keep discretionary calories in check.

 6 Healthiest Frozen Pot Pies on Grocery Shelves—and 4 To Avoid

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