The holidays conjure up large dinners with family and friends, parties with tasty appetizers and lots of sweets. Sticking to a healthy diet can be tough, but there are ways to cook healthy holiday dishes that still taste good. Making small changes to recipes can shave calories, fat and sugar from the food, and simply being mindful of portion sizes and toppings can help make unhealthy meals healthier. Holidays are a time of traditions, but that doesn't mean your waistline has to pay the price.
Step 1
Serve appetizers that are higher in fiber and nutrients than traditional high-fat appetizers. Choose vegetable trays with low-fat dips and dressings, whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese, and whole wheat pita chips and hummus. Iowa State University suggests serving soy nuts instead of regular nuts, and using low-fat or nonfat sour cream instead of full-fat for dips.
Step 2
Cook meat or fish in low-fat sauces or juices instead of higher fat sauces. For extra seasoning and flavor, rub spices or add seasoning to the food, like rosemary, basil or oregano. If there is any skin on the meat, remove it before eating to avoid consuming extra fat.
Step 3
Add fruit or a sprinkling of nuts to salads to add extra nutrients to the meal. Fruit like mandarin orange slices, grapes, apple slices and dried cranberries can add flavor and seasonal touches to a salad, as can sunflower seeds, cashews and almond slivers.
Step 4
Serve mashed or baked potatoes, without butter, as a healthy side dish. Served with a sprinkling of brown sugar or cinnamon, sweet potatoes, which contain beta-carotene, can add some sweetness to your holiday meal.
Step 5
Substitute healthier desserts for traditional fattening sweets. Pumpkin pie or fruit tarts are healthier alternatives to cakes, and you can decrease sugar in recipes by up to one-third by adding other sweeteners like vanilla extract or spices. Serve low-fat or fat-free sorbet or frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. If you make holiday cookies, use small cookie cutters for smaller cookies.
Tips and Warnings
- To get protein without added fat, try substituting tofu for meat in stir-frys or grilled dishes. MayoClinic.com suggests using firm or extra-firm tofu, freezing it, and then thawing and cooking it to provide a chewy texture similar to meat.
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