Acme Helps Shoppers Plan Healthier Holiday Meals
The two biggest challenges most hosts and hostesses often face are preparing the perfect holiday meal that is both delicious and healthy while also being careful not to rack up the bill.
This season, Acme’s registered dietitian and health and nutrition expert, Jennifer Shea, has teamed up with coupon expert Mindi Cherry to help everyone have a healthful and economical holiday.
“The holidays can be a constant battle between family traditions and watching the waistlines,” Shea said. “The key is doing your best to incorporate the holiday staples, such as potatoes, stuffing and dessert using ingredients that are both delicious and nutritious, while being mindful of how much you’re actually eating.”
Shea suggested these guidelines:
- Expand your potato palate: White potatoes are rich in vitamin C and potassium. Keep the skin on to keep the fiber. Think outside the white potato to multicolored fingerling potatoes, purple potatoes or red potatoes. Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins A and C and fiber.
- Switch up the stuffing: Use whole-grain bread, packed with fiber and B vitamins. Experiment with other grains such as quinoa, wild rice and faro. Celery, onion and herbs add flavor with little calories and fat.
- Balancing tradition and moderation: Small indulgences are great, like mini desserts (i.e., mini apple pies, mini pumpkin muffins, mini chocolate mousse) so guests can indulge without the guilt.
- Let the store help: Acme encourages using its in-store color-coded better-for-you food finder, Nutrition iQ, to help navigate the aisles.
Cherry recommends these tips to cut down on holiday grocery bills:
- Plan: Create a detailed shopping list of needed items.
- Stock up on turkey: Holiday meats go on sale after the holiday, so buy several and freeze them to use all year for different recipes.
- Buy store brands
- Buy non-perishables in bulk.
- Visit coupon sites, grocery store websites, brand websites and Facebook Fan pages for deals.
Acme Markets, part of the Supervalu Inc. family of grocery stores, operates 116 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.