Stuff Your Turkey and Not Yourself this Holiday!
Catherine Kruppa, MS, RD, LD

Holiday seasons are filled with fun, friends, and family and too much food that can leave us stuck with unwanted pounds. One too many of mom's tasty temptations combined with lack of exercise can equate to an easy 5-10 pound weight gain each year. Planning some holiday eating strategies is the key to a trimmer season.

A typical holiday meal usually looks something like this:

Grand caloric and fat intake 1966 134 (61% fat)

The revised low-fat holiday meal looks something like this:

Grand caloric and fat intake 821 5.8

Wow, you can save over 1,000 calories and 128 grams of fat by revising your holiday menus. Don't let the holidays make you loosen your belt. Try cutting out the fat this year with these tips.

Turkey talk
· Select a plain turkey that is not pre-basted
· Use butter flavored Pam and chicken broth for basting the turkey instead of butter
· Select skinless white meat over dark meat with skin
· Beware of most gravies and juices (that is where the fat hides)

Appetizers
· Use fat-free mayonnaise, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream and dressings for dips. (don't count on your friends to do the same.)
· Avoid high fat dishes that are fried, stuffed, or with pastries and high fat meats.
· Stick to fruit, veggies, seafood, or bring your own low-fat appetizer

Recipe Make-over
· Substitute fat-free butters (ie. Butter Buds, Promise Ultra, Fleishman's Light, or I Can't Believe it's Not Butter) in place of margarine in stuffings, potatoes, veggies, and gravies.
· Cook stuffing in a dish versus in the turkey to prevent excess fat absorption.
· Use evaporated skim milk and skim milk in place of cream and while milk in pies, soups and sauces.

De-fatted Desserts
· Use fat-free pie crusts or make graham cracker crusts with low-fat graham crackers and fat-free butter.
· Cut the sugar in your desserts by 1/3.
· Use egg beaters or 2 egg whites for one egg
· Replace Nuts (2 tsp. = 170 calories and 25 g. fat) with Grape Nuts cereal.
· Substitute whip cream with fat-free Cool Whip or Rediwhip.

What about Spirits?
· Alcohol can add an amazing 300-700 calories per meal.
· Use Diet 7-up with 2 oz. wine for a low-calorie spritzer.
· Select light beer and dry wines over sweet mixed drinks and regular beer, but remember, even the light ones have 100 calories per serving.
· Drink long and light. One drink is metabolized in one hour, so try drinking non-alcoholic beverages in between.

Holiday Eating Hints
· Don't skip breakfast…this is what leads to ravenous hunger that results in extreme overeating.
· Have healthy snacks on hand like popcorn, pretzels, fruit, crackers, veggies, baked chips and low-fat dips.
· Keep high fat desserts out of sight or give them to friends.
· Plan extra exercise around big meals and do more activities like museum tours and walks instead of resting in front of the television.
· Eat a snack before going out to dinner and pass up the appetizers and extra bread.
· Give more gift certificates and flowers instead of baking sweets and desserts.
· Chew gum or brush your teeth before cooking to reduce sampling.
· When you're hungry avoid munching unconsciously on leftovers. Fix yourself a plate of food so you know how much you are consuming.
· Last but not least, if you go overboard don't starve yourself the next day. Get right back on track, exercise a little more and watch your portions and fat intake.

Read other articles by Catherine Kruppa