Tips for Cutting Calories During the Holidays
Cooking Light Magazine’s recipe for Pecan-Date Pie
There’s appetizers, eggnog, casseroles, pies and cakes. Nothing says decadence like a holiday meal. The South is known for its rich and delectable foods. And sweet and savory family recipes are what make Southern holidays what they are. But for those looking to cut a few calories before setting that New Year’s resolution to eat healthy, we’ve got you covered. Ann Pittman is executive editor of Cooking Light Magazine in Birmingham. She spoke to WBHM’s Esther Ciammachilli for our food series “Sound Bites” on some healthier holiday options.
On healthy appetizers
You don’t want to deprive yourself during the holidays. That’s why when you talk about healthier holiday eating a lot of times people kind of tune you out. But with appetizers [like dips], serve some vegetables with it as your dippers. I’m not going to say don’t serve chips or pita chips or tortilla chips with your guacamole or your spinach artichoke dip. But have lots of fresh veggies there too. The starchier dippers like the chips and bread, those are going to pack on calories really quick.
On serving salads with a holiday meal
Having a beautiful salad on the table is such a great strategy. People will love having something fresh and crunchy and light on the table. I like to make salads very pretty. Incorporate some unique things that will entice people to actually put the salad on their plate. Shave carrots into ribbons or use some watermelon radishes that are very pretty. If you yourself are looking to eat less of the heavy stuff, start by filling half your plate with the salad and then that’s going to force you – in a good way – to take smaller portions of some of those richer heavier foods.
On portion control
That’s probably the hardest thing about healthy eating is portion control. And when you’re having these foods that you probably only have maybe once or twice a year you want to kind of indulge, and maybe overindulge. But it’s so important to watch yourself. You know which foods are heavier. It’s the desserts. It’s the creamy casseroles. So don’t deprive yourself. Don’t tell yourself you can’t have them. That’s not realistic and it’s not fun and it’s not joyful. Just take smaller portions. Fill half your plate with the salad. And at the dessert buffet, take maybe really small portions of two or three things instead of one big slice of cake. You’re going to be more satisfied because you’re trying different things. But you’re just keeping the portions a little smaller.
Photos: Deadly tornadoes hit Kentucky and Missouri
Over 20 people have died since severe storms and tornadoes hit Kentucky and Missouri overnight. Meteorologists are beginning to survey the damage.
Paleontologists discover a 500-million-year-old, 3-eyed predator
Fossils of the underwater predator shed new light on biodiversity from the Cambrian period.
Investigators respond to scene of an explosion rocking Palm Springs, Calif.
The explosion occurred at the site of a fertility clinic. A doctor there said the office space was damaged but the IVF lab and its stored embryos were unharmed.
More than 20 dead after tornadoes sweep through Kentucky and Missouri
Powerful storms and tornadoes tore through several Midwestern and Southern states overnight Friday, leaving carnage and flattened buildings in their wake.
Opinion: A wealth of wisdom for a bargain price
NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the discovery that what Harvard University thought was a copy of the Magna Carta is actually an original.
Bessemer residents want answers about a four-million-square-foot data center coming to their backyards
Residents in and around Bessemer are furious over Project Marvel, a plan to build a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing facility on 700 acres of wooded land. Public officials have been sworn to silence.
