healthy you c
NUTRITION
Waist Not
Use these tipsto keep holidaytreats
from endinguparoundyour middle.
BY DAVID FEDER, R.D.
randma lied. Sure, she always seemed sweet and
/
y
innocent, but when she told you that “holiday
treats don’t have calories,” she was fibbing a blue
streak. In fact, holiday foods are some of the
most calorie-dense around, leading many of
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us to pack on more than a few pounds between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Beat back the holiday pounds this year
by steering clear of the highest-calorie seasonal treats as much as
possible. But since there’s always a lovely grandma waiting to plump
you up, we’ve collected strategies for reducing the impact of such
kindness on your waistline.
D e a lin g w i t h
h o lid a v d e s s e r ts
The biggest temptation com es from an
abundance o f sw eets. Ways to cut back:
■ B E A N A N G E L A slice o f plain angel
food cake has about
100
calories; glaze
and sprinkles add another
25
-
50
.
■ F E A S T O N FRU IT Com potes of
holiday fruits, poached pears, and
cinnamon-baked apples are low-calorie
sweets. (Hold the whipped cream.)
■ CH O O SE YO U R CO O K IES Reach
for ginger snaps or other light cookies
such as madeleines. Meringues are
even better, around
20
calories each.
■ CH O O SE YO U R CH O COLATE
Go for the antioxidant-loaded dark
chocolate squares.
■ SLIC E IT Skip toppings; go for
single-crust fruit-filled pies.
EGGNOG
Eggnog is not just
flavored milk. Store-
bought eggnog contains
up to
350
calories per cup
and has more saturated
fat in one serving than
you should have all day.
You’ll have to do a lot of
turkey chasing or caroling
to burn that off.
Good Opt for low-fat
versions. They save about
a third of the calories
or more.
Better Fill your glass
with half skim milk and
half eggnog. Before long,
you’ll find the undiluted
stuff way too rich.
Best Soy versions of
eggnog have as little as
90
calories per cup. And
regular soy intake has
its own nutritional
benefits, such as
increased bone density.
CREAM GRAVY
Flour, grease, and salt
may comprise three of
the four basic food
groups for college
freshm en, but you don’t
have to go to school to
know a serving of
homemade cream gravy
can easily add hundreds
o f calories to the plate.
Good Believe it or not,
purchased cream gravies
tend to run at about
half the calories as
homemade.
Better Homemade
cranberry sauce tops
turkey (and even mashed
potatoes) beautifully and
is rich in antioxidants.
Best Au jus, the natural
(defatted) juices of the
meat, make an ultra-
low-calorie and very
tasty alternative.
SALAD DRESSING
Why is this caution any
different from the rest
of the year? Because,
for som e reason, we use
the holidays to go crazy
with those high-cal,
super-heavy dressings.
Good Put the dressing in
a small bowl and dip each
bite gently in instead of
slathering it on top.
Better Stick to olive oil-
based vinaigrette.
Best Squeeze a lemon
wedge on your salad and
get your holiday going
with a sprinkle of dried
cranberries.
SNACK DIP
Sour cream- or cream
cheese-based dips grace
many a snack buffet
designed for distracted
munching as we focus
on mingling at holiday
gatherings, New Year
parties, and that
biggest celebration of
the season—yes, the
Super Bowl.
Good Use a low-fat
sour cream for a third
few er calories.
Better Substitute
fat-free plain yogurt and
cut the calories in half.
Best Put a little south-
of-the-border spice in
the season with salsa
and you’ll be down to
about
15-20
calories
per serving. As for
what you dip, skip the
regular potato chips
and instead lean toward
baked potato, pita, or
tortilla chips.
CANDIED YAM S
Some holiday recipes
are sacred. Buttered yam s
whipped with brown
sugar and marshmallows
are close, but let’s face it:
Yams are sweet
enough without the
added calories.
Good Switch from
butter to one-third the
amount of walnut oil.
And substitute a drizzle
o f molasses for the
brown sugar.
Better No butter or
oil, just a splash o f real
maple syrup.
Best Baked whole yam s,
peeled and mashed, with
a pinch of sea salt.
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DECEMBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: VEER
