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Holidays the Healthy Way!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday time is quickly approaching and this is not normally the best time to adhere to a strict diet. The typical meals with turkey, dressing, rolls, potatoes with butter and whipped cream pie can contain a whopping 2,200 calories or more. For most of us, that is our typical daily caloric intake. If you are concerned about your weight, try some smart choices and substitutions to curb that caloric excess without the sacrificing the fulfillment of Christmas dinners with some dessert too. Here are some smart choices during the holiday season:

Choose white meat. A 6-ounce portion (about the size of a deck of cards or size of your palm) of white meat turkey without skin has 230 calories, while a mixed portion of white and dark meat with skin has about 345 calories.

Limit rolls and butter. An average roll has 80-85 calories but when you add the butter that number jumps to 120 calories instead.

Eat steamed rather than buttered vegetables. Buttered vegetables have about twice as many calories per cup as steamed vegetables. Even cutting back on the amount of butter you use on vegetables can be significant. Remember that every tablespoon of butter adds about 100 calories to a dish. Lemon juice or low-fat salad dressings are alternative ways to top vegetables if you’re craving a sauce.

Avoid eggnog. A cup of eggnog at 340 calories is a calorically dense aperitif. Try a glass of white wine or champagne (about 160 calories) instead and save calorie consumption for the main meal.

If you’re having appetizers, offer vegetables with low-fat dip instead of cheeses and crackers. With the rich meal to follow, you won’t feel deprived.

If you’re preparing the stuffing, omit some of the fat. A rich, buttery stuffing with sausage can top out at 500 calories per cup. Some suggestions for fat reduction include omitting sausage or meats and replacing that butter or oil with low-fat products. A cup of low-fat stuffing contains only 125 calories, well below that 500 calorie range.

Finally, enjoy that pumpkin pie. A piece of pumpkin pie has about 175 calories compared to a slice of pecan pie, which has 495 calories.

-Kelsey

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