Food for Thought: No matter what medium you use most—Web, TV, radio or the printed word—it’s hard to ignore that ’tis the season of chestnuts roasting, geese-a-gettin’-fat, maids-a-milking and sugar plums dancing. Try as we might, during the holidays it’s challenging to stay mindful of the quantity and type of calories we are consuming; there are just so many overt promptings to indulge. Whether the occasion is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or New Year’s Eve/Day, you can steer safely over the river and through the woods with the following commonsense tips: • The keys to navigating most celebratory groaning boards without the groan are portion control and optimized selection from a variety of food groups. • Drink a large glass of water just before a big holiday dinner. If you are hosting, serve a soup course first. The warm liquid gives a feeling of satiety and may help you and your guests eat less. • Use a smaller plate. • Cover most of your plate with vegetables and salad. • Keep your turkey portion to no more than 5–6½ ounces. A traditional dish at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, turkey is a great lean protein, but don’t go overboard. • Avoid candied yams. Instead, try yams baked with minimal • condiments or whipped with straightforward seasonings and chicken broth in lieu of butter and milk. Yams are a wonderful source of beta carotene and fiber. • Keep stuffing portions small. The family stuffing recipe is a favorite and not to be missed, but a small taste to take you down memory lane is probably plenty. Proceed with caution, as this dish often contains bacon drippings, butter, a lot of sodium and other self-defeating ingredients. Better bet: Offer to bring an alternative like a salad or a plate of crudités with a Greek yogurt-based dip. • Avoid mashed potatoes if you do not know what is in them; they often have cream, butter and salt lurking within. If you are making the dish yourself, try substituting chicken broth and low-fat or nonfat Greek yogurt as whipping agents. • Instead of watching football all day, start a tradition of having family and friends gather on the lawn before or after the big meal to toss the football around, or go for a long walk in the neighborhood. Kids of all ages will enjoy the activity. • Lighten your eggnog calorie load by getting low-fat or fat-free versions—and leave out the spirits. • Taste the home-baked goodness of your favorite candies, cookies, pies and sweets, but take just a taste and really savor the flavors.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 17:00:02 +0000