Holiday Eating
By Ruth Lahmayer, MS, RDr
Do you want to avoid the pitfalls of weight gain this holiday
season? Eating lighter foods doesn't mean taking the joy out of celebrating.
It only means skimming off the fat, cutting back a little and learning
to modify traditional recipes. Try the following pointers.
• Pay attention to portion sizes.
Instead of eating twice what you usually do, set down your fork when
you start feeling full.
• If you're cooking turkey for a small group,
instead of wrestling with a 20-pound bird, why not buy just a part of
the turkey, like the breast? Then you won't have a platter of leftovers
to tempt you. Prepare the stuffing outside the bird, so it doesn't absorb
the fat.
• Use skim milk instead of whole milk in the
mashed potatoes.
• Make sugar cookies with a third less sugar--they're
still delicious! And for a lower-calorie frosting, you can't beat light
cream cheese mixed with a little honey.
• Try the Holiday Recipe Makeover Guide to make
recipes lower in fat, cholesterol, calories and sodium (but still maintain
the taste):
|
Traditional
Holiday Meal |
Makeover Holiday Meal |
1. White and dark meat (6 oz):
* 289 calories
* 8 g fat
* 130 mg cholesterol
* 120 mg sodium
|
1. White meat only (6 oz):
* 178 calories
* 3 g fat
* 78 mg cholesterol
* 71 mg sodium
|
2. Turkey gravy (1/4 c):
* 76 calories
* 7 g fat
* 7 mg cholesterol
* 250 mg sodium
|
2. Skim fat from juices:
* 14 calories
* 0 g fat
* 0 mg cholesterol
* 0 mg sodium
|
3. Stuffing (2/3 c)
* 290 calories
* 17 g fat
* 43 mg cholesterol
* 713 mg sodium
|
3. Replace 1/3 bread w/ vegetables
* 160 calories
* 4 g fat
* 2 mg cholesterol
* 0 mg sodium
|
4. Yams (3/4 c) "Candied."
* 250 calories
* 6 g fat
* 16 mg cholesterol
* 9 mg sodium
|
4. W/ pineapple, apple juice omit margarine.
* 105 calories
* 0 g fat
* 0 mg cholesterol
* 1 mg sodium
|
5. Cranberry sauce (1/2 c)
* 210 calories
* 0 g fat
* 0 mg cholesterol
* 40 mg sodium.
|
5. Grind cranberries w/ oranges and apples
* 90 calories
* 0 g fat
* 0 mg cholesterol
* 1 mg sodium
|
6. Pumpkin pie (1/8 pie). With whipped cream
* 450 calories
* 33 g fat
* 66 mg cholesterol
* 299 mg sodium.
|
6. Pumpkin filling w/evaporated skim milk
1/3 less sugar.
* 142 calories
* 2 g fat
* 0 mg cholesterol
* 115 mg sodium
|
This article was provided as a service of IDEA, the world's
leading membership organization for health and fitness professionals.
Be sure to visit IDEA at http://www.ideafit.com
today, and by GHF.
Click
here to visit their site for customized exercise and nutrition programs,
hundreds of exercise instructions and video demo's, a free fitness analysis,
and much more. Members now receive FREE fitness tracking software and
unlimited fitness consulting from 34 fitness, medical, and nutrition
experts!
