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Health & Fitness

Healthy Holiday Cooking and Baking

The holiday's lend itself to overindulgence. With a little effort, you can enjoy delicious & healthy food & treats, reduce stress, and truly enjoy the season.


Balancing food and fun during festive times can be quite challenging. We have exposure to more food and beverage, higher calorie foods and beverages, increased stress, decreased leisure time, and the desire to keep our weight in check! There’s the tendency for quick grab meals as we’re making attempts to carry on our normal lives, with the added demands we place for the holiday season. Although we have additional challenges, we are not doomed!

You are in control when you prepare your own meals. You control ingredients, preparation and cooking methods, calories, fat sources and amounts, and flavor. Preparing your meals and snacks is a vital step in successful life-long weight management and health improvements. When you consider many people gain 1-2 pounds during the holidays, aim to take it off and don’t, that 1-2 pounds turns into 10 - 20 pounds in 10 years! Small substitutions can break this cycle and still result in tasty foods and treats at this time of year!

Try out these substitutions, then share what works for you.

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Instead of:

Substitute:

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Fat grams saved:

Calories in pounds per year*

1 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 Tbsp apple sauce, prune puree (Lighter Bake), or fruit preserves

11

1 ¾ pounds /year

1 cup butter /margarine/ oil or shortening

½ cup apple sauce, prune puree (Lighter Bake), or fruit preserves

184 –   218

49 - 58 pounds /year

2 Tbsp oil for sautéing

2 Tbsp broth for sautéing

28

1 ½ pounds /year

1 Tbsp butter/margarine/oil

2 seconds cooking spray

14

3 ½ pounds /year

1 Tbsp  butter/margarine/oil

1 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine

5

1 ½ pounds /year

2 Tbsp regular salad dressing

2 Tbsp nonfat salad dressing

14

3 ½ pounds /year

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp nonfat mayo or nonfat yogurt

12

2 ½ pounds /year

1 Tbsp butter/ margarine

1 Tbsp Salsa

11

2 ¾ pounds /year

½ cup regular ricotta cheese

½ cup fat free ricotta cheese

16

4 pounds /year

2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp evaporated skim milk

10

2 ¼ pounds /year

2 Tbsp regular cream cheese

2 Tbsp nonfat cream cheese

10

2 pounds /year

8 oz regular cream cheese

8 oz Neufchatel cheese or   nonfat cream cheese

30

80

8 pounds /year

21 pounds /year

1 oz full fat cheese

1 oz fat free cheese

9

2 pounds /year

1 cup whole milk

1 cup fat free milk

8

1 ¾ pounds /year

1 cup whole milk yogurt

1 cup nonfat yogurt

7

½ pounds /year

2 Tbsp regular sour cream

2 Tbsp nonfat sour cream

5

1 ¼ pounds /year

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup evaporated skim milk

87

23 pounds /year

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup low-fat sweetened condensed milk or

1 cup nonfat sweetened condensed milk

15

 

26

4 pounds /year

 

 7 pounds /year

1 cup regular sour cream

1 cup low-fat sour cream 

1 cup nonfat sour cream

28

48

7½ pounds/year

12¾ pounds /year

½ cup whole milk cottage cheese

½ cup nonfat cottage cheese

4

1 pounds /year

1 cup chopped nuts

½ cup toasted nuts (toasting = ↑ flavor)

40

10½ pounds /year

1 whole egg

2 egg whites or 1/4 cup fat free egg substitute

5

1½ pounds /year

*Pounds saved/lost if substitutions made 2 times each week.

Many resources are available that will give you more recipes for your holiday favorites, which include reader comments. Check out Cooking Light, All recipes, Eating Well, Fooducate, Heart Association, and Vegetarian Times. 

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