Your Weight Watchers holiday meal cheat sheet

It can be easy to slide into an “I’m just going to eat whatever” spiral in December. After all, that’s when it feels like you have a special meal, a cookie-decorating afternoon with family, a work holiday party, and then gatherings with friends and neighbors every day of the month to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and just the magic of being together during a cozy season.

One of the best ways to be mindful about your food choices this holiday season? Simply tracking what you eat. The Weight Watchers Points® program makes that easy, by assigning a score to every food and drink using a mathematical equation. Experts based it on nutrients you want more of in your diet (fiber, protein, unsaturated fat), which help bring points down, as well as nutrients we want to minimize (saturated fat, added sugars), which raise points — giving you one simple number.

Read on for a breakdown of the points in some classic holiday offerings, as well as some suggestions for feeling good around the special food and drink options in December.

Holiday weight gain can be real — but also can be avoided. And no, that doesn’t require spending every holiday meal obsessing over what you’re putting on your plate. “If you normally track, decide ahead of time what would be most helpful for you that day,” says Clarissa Garza, M.S., R.D., L.D., the nutrition program lead at Weight Watchers. Maybe you continue tracking as usual, which is why you’ll find a quick cheat sheet with common holiday favorites below. “Or you could track the rest of the day without worrying about accurately tracking the holiday meal. Or you could focus on a simple goal like making sure you’re getting enough protein, fiber, or hydration instead.” Each of those is easily calculated for you in the WW app.

Garza encourages you to stay flexible, so you can enjoy your time with coworkers, friends, neighbors, and family during this special time of year. “Choose one or two realistic intentions, rather than expecting yourself to do everything perfectly. Success might look like eating normally before the gathering, staying hydrated, including vegetables, or simply slowing down enough to really enjoy your favorite holiday foods,” she says. If you do decide to track, read on to get a sense of how many points are in what you may find in a typical holiday spread.

Here's how many points are in your holiday favorites over eight special nights.

Potato latkes (2 latke), 8 points
Sour cream (2 tbsp, reduced fat), 2 points
Applesauce (½ cup, unsweetened), 0 points
Brisket (3 oz, lean), 5 points
Roasted chicken breast (3 oz, without skin), 0 points
Roasted carrots and parsnips (⅔ cup, no oil), 1 point
Dinner roll (1 roll), 4 points
Jelly donut (1 donut), 13 points
Potato kugel (1 piece), 2 points
Matzo ball soup (1 serving), 4 points
Rugelach (1 item), 7 points

Here’s how many points are in some of Santa’s favorites.

Shrimp cocktail (1 piece with sauce), 1 point
Ham (3 oz), 4 points
Turkey breast (3 oz), 0 points
Mashed potatoes (½ cup, plain), 0 points
Stuffing/dressing (½ cup), 5 points
Gravy (2 tbsp), 1 point
Homemade macaroni and cheese (1 cup), 15 points
Green beans (1 cup), 0 points
Green bean casserole (1 cup), 7 points
Dinner rolls (1 roll), 4 points
Pork tamales (1 item), 7 points
Pozole (1 cup), 4 points
Brussels sprouts (½ cup), 0 points
Beef rib eye roast (3 oz), lean, boneless, 5 points
Roasted potatoes (½ cup, no oil), 0 points
Gingerbread cookies (1 cookie), 4 points
Sugar cookies (1 cookie), 4 points
Pumpkin pie (1 serving), 6 points

It’s not just what’s on your plate — be mindful that what’s in your glass can also add to your points total.

Champagne (5 fl oz), 4 points
Wine (5 fl oz), 4 points
Regular beer (12 fl oz), 5 points
Light beer (12 fl oz), 4 points
Apple cider (8 fl oz), 4 points
Eggnog (½ cup), 11 points
Swiss hot chocolate (8 fl oz), 8 points
Coquito (4 fl oz), 15 points
Mulled wine (5 fl oz), 7 points