Lighten Up Your Holiday Meal

Lighten Up Your Holiday Meal

Your holiday spread doesn’t have to be packed with high calorie entrées and desserts. Selecting the right foods and the appropriate substitutions can produce a meal that tastes great and is also lower in calories. Let’s use the common Thanksgiving meal as an example:

Entrée

Baked Turkey: choose plain turkey, as opposed to the butter-basted type. You’ll lower the fat and sodium. Remove the skin and when roasting, baste with chicken broth.

Dressing: substitute a lower sodium stuffing mix and add healthy ingredients like apples, celery and onions.

Gravy: Chill the gravy first and use a strainer or skim ladle to remove the fat from the drippings.

Side items

Mashed potatoes: replace whole milk with skim. Use low-calorie margarine instead of butter

Green bean casserole: use low sodium soups and low fat cheese.

Sweet Potatoes/Yams: serve them baked instead of candied. Keep an eye on the sugar and butter toppings.

Dessert
When making desserts, substitute as many healthful ingredients as possible. The alternative sweetener SPLENDA is also a great option for baked products. You only need to use 1/2 cup of SPLENDA® for baking to replace the sweetness of one cup of sugar.