The holidays are a great time to eat, drink and be merry, but along with all the festivities going on, many people end up gaining weight. If you don’t want to end up being on Santa’s naughty list, then here are 25 holiday foods to avoid:
- Cheese Twists— They are loaded with salt and saturated fats so avoid these if you can.
- Eggnog— Sugar, whipping cream, eggs, and bourbon are the perfect combination to add extra calories that will ruin your diet.
- Potatoes—Potatoes, in any form, whether they are mashed, riced, or stuffed, make it to the top of the holiday foods to avoid.
- Fruitcake—A small slice of this holiday favorite is all it takes to add tons of extra calories to your diet.
- Pie — Whether it’s pecan, gooseberry, pumpkin or cherry, pies are a holiday food to avoid because of their high sugar and carb content.
- Spinach and Artichoke Dip — Although these dips may seem healthy, don’t let the ingredients fool you. These dips are loaded with cream, sour cream and mayonnaise – not to mention the toasted chips you will dunk in them.
- Sausage Stuffing — There are excessive calories and unhealthy ingredients packed into this tempting delight. Not to mention, it’s filled with trans fats.
- Dark Meat Turkey — White turkey may be a lean meat, but the dark meat along with extra sauces make it on our list of holiday foods to avoid.
- Croissants— It is hard to part ways with these crescent beauties but you don’t need the carbs to destroy your healthy diet.
- Prime Rib—Meat lovers might have to pass on this main course since just one piece of prime rib can have as much as 45 grams of fat.
- Cranberry Sauce — Cranberries might be loaded with vitamins and antioxidants but the sauce is usually canned and contains tons of sugar.
- Vegetable Casserole — Don’t be fooled by the name. Most vegetable casseroles have tons of salt, cream and cheese, all of which is a definite no-no.
- Creamy Soup — Avoid all versions of creamy soups. They are usually laden with fat, cream, and other high-calorie ingredients.
- Bread Rolls — Bread rolls are one of the sneakiest calorie packing holiday foods. It’s simple to say that they are overloaded with carbs that your waistline doesn’t need.
- Gravy — Gravy is basically liquefied salt and fat. Avoid pouring it over your meat.
- Cookies — Christmas cookies might lure you to the dark side, but you are better without them. And who can eat just one?
- Fudge — There are 90 calories in the smallest piece of fudge. Not to mention tons of sugar, carbs, and fat.
- Mulled Wine — Not only is mulled wine filled with sugar, it also contains over 300 calories a cup.
- Caramel Apples — One caramel apple is all it takes to pack on at least 400 calories.
- Gingerbread— That cute little gingerbread man contains over 350 calories and almost 50 carbs. That’s not so cute for your diet.
- Christmas Pudding — Sure, Christmas pudding is a seasonal favorite. But is it worth the 350 extra calories? Definitely not.
- Candy Canes — Leave this candy on the tree and avoid tons of excess sugar.
- Truffles — 100 calories per truffle might not seem much but who stops eating them at just one?
- Holiday Caffeine — Caramel macchiatos, lattes and hot chocolate are at least 450 calories per cup. If you add whipped cream then it’s over 500. Avoid!
- Trifles — Christmas trifles might seem healthy from afar, but all the layered fruit, custard, cream and the sugar will sneak their way in and ruin your diet.
It’s going to be hard work because the holidays are always filled with plenty of foods that are just plain unhealthy. But, if you want to keep those extra pounds from appearing, avoid these 25 foods at all costs.
