We help you choose healthier favorites
Tis the season, but that doesn’t mean you have to pack on the pounds. You can celebrate the holidays in a healthy way. These are our picks for healthier holiday fare.
Toast holiday cheer with champagne. Though mulled wine is usually made with fruit, it can also have added sugar, and eggnog is loaded with sugar, fat and calories.
You’ll wind up less stuffed if you make your stuffing with low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth instead of butter. Forgo cholesterol-laden giblets and bacon for apples, nuts and celery. Or get a win-win when you swap wild rice for bread, boosting flavor and fiber.
It’s a tough choice: sugar cookies or gingerbread men. If you’re counting calories, this is where size really does matter. Both sweets are made from butter, flour and sugar, but gingerbread men are often larger than sugar cookies. In this case, smaller is better.
We’re talking healthier turkey: Opt for oven-roasted white meatwith the skin removed.
Pumpkin pie is a healthier choice than pecan pie. A slice of pumpkin has 200 fewer calories than the same serving of pecan.
When you nosh at the cheese tray, keep this in mind: Soft cheeses are usually lower in calories than firm cheeses. So pick goat (75 calories per ounce) over brie (95 calories per ounce), and brie over cheddar (114 calories per ounce).
If you simply must have mashed potatoes, slim them down by swapping skim milk for cream and choosing butter or gravy, not both. Better option: a baked potato. Even with a pat of butter, it has fewer calories than mashed potatoes.
