The holidays are a time for family, gratitude - and usually - lots of food. It can be easy to overindulge, but not too hard to get back on track as well. Registered Dietitian Shanti Wolfe oversees the meal prep line at Roundabout Catering in Sparks. There are different options for different needs.
"We do a gym rat clean eating line, a caveman keto line and a vegetarian meal line, so we have a ton of different options," Wolfe said.
All of the meals are created and prepared in the Roundabout Catering kitchen twice a week.
"We'll start with a recipe in mind and we use nutrition analysis software to create the recipes," Wolfe said. "Once we put everything into the nutrition analysis software, we look at the macronutrients, the calories, the vitamin and mineral content, and then we'll modify the recipe based on what the nutrition analysis is. Then we'll work with the chefs to make sure it's something good and then we produce it."
It's the nutrition, he says, that some people can lose when they start a new diet.
"A lot of people are doing what we're calling convenience store keto," Wolfe said. "So they're eating salami and a lot of cheeses, they're putting butter in their coffee and consuming all of these high calorie items that just add all kinds of fat sources to their diet, and they may not respond well to it. What they're missing is the vitamins and minerals they get from nutrients like vegetables, so sometimes they're nutrient deficient."
The meals are all portioned, labeled and delivered; the idea is to make eating healthier that much easier.
"The nice thing about it is you don't even need to think about what you're eating," Wolfe said. "Since I'm a dietitian, we prep and make everything so it's calorie-balanced and it has all the nutrition you'll need so you'll feel great and hit all your results. You don't have to worry about grocery shopping, cooking, doing the dishes or portioning it out; we do all of that for you so all you have to do is tear the lid off the container, reheat it for 90 seconds to 2 minutes and start eating."
Portion sizes play a big role here, and he says that's something to keep in mind during - or ever after - the holidays.
"Portion size is one of the benefits of doing a meal prep service," Wolfe said. "We portion size everything. We use a scale, some people can use measuring cups or spoons or their hand. Consistency is the key to seeing good results; so even during the holiday season, if they're consistent with their portion sizes, we know they're going to see minimal weight gain during the holiday season."
And of course, he says, balance is key.
"A lot of people show their love through food and it doesn't always have to be extravagant," he said. "It can be something relatively simple. The main tenants of what make a healthy meal are just meats and vegetables and starches. You can still have your desserts - and that's where a lot of people run into issues, is overconsumption of those dessert items. I would say that if 80% of your nutrition comes from the good foods on your plate, in reasonable portion sizes, hand-sized amounts of each, that makes it easy. And if you have a little bit of room, have your dessert but don't overindulge."
