Everyone's Health

Strategies let dieters enjoy holiday meals

Virginia Linn

Consider biology and psychology when digging into that big Thanksgiving meal.

You'll get the most pleasure from the first few bites of any food. So stop there.

“Be a taster,” says Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center. “It's that mental connection. A small amount is enough to satisfy you. More bites and it becomes a point of diminishing returns.”

Strategies that will allow you to have your turkey with all the trimmings include portion control; slightly tweaking your favorite recipes to trim fat or sugar; bartering your calories (less here so you can eat more there); and spacing out alcohol consumption.

There's a lot more going on in people's lives than just getting through Thanksgiving. People are concerned about holiday spending; happy or sad memories become more prominent, and stress takes its toll on families.

“You have to put all of this in the equation and take a step back,” Fernstrom said. “Are you eating for stress, comfort or pleasure? If you're at least mindful of this, you're better equipped to consider nonfood substitutes to get through the holidays.”

Part of the strategy is to have some control over the food. Either host the meal or bring some of your own dishes. Substitute low-calorie ingredients into some dishes.

“Let your taste buds be your guide,” Fernstrom said. “You want to have a little control, but still enjoy the holiday.”

Here are some ideas:

• Appetizers: Consider trays of raw veggies with light ranch dressing. Shrimp with cocktail sauce is high in protein and low in fat, and it will give you a feeling of fullness. Mix nuts with pretzels, raisins and air-popped popcorn. (There are 170 calories in 1/4 cup of nuts; 100 calories in 1/4 cup of pretzels.)
  
  
• Potatoes: For foods that will be smothered with gravy anyway, you won't notice substitutions that cut calories. Sub the cream with evaporated skim milk or even regular or skim milk when mashing the potatoes.
  
  
• Butter Bud sprinkles or Molly McButter – found on the spice rack – lend a buttery taste. A teaspoon of Butter Buds (5 calories) can be substituted, Fernstrom says, for a tablespoon of margarine or butter (100 calories). With these substitutions, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes will have 80 calories versus 160 calories.
  
  
• Stuffing: Stuffing is an enormous source of calories. Substitute fat-free chicken broth for the butter. Use nonstick spray to saute the onions and celery. With these changes, a half cup of dressing will have 50 calories vs. 196 calories.
  
  
• Gravy: Cut calories by mixing fat-free packaged or bottled gravies with pan juices.
  
  

• Turkey: Eat the white meat. Remove the skin. If the skin is important to you, cut back on something else.
  
  
• Alcohol: Lots of calories here, plus the more you consume, the less self-control you'll have. Before dinner, set a goal and stick with it: “I'll have two glasses of wine.”
  
  
• Drink a glass of wine (120 to 150 calories), then a glass of water, then wine again. Same for beer or mixed drinks (roughly 100 calories a glass).
  
  
• Desserts: Try substituting sugars such as Equal Sugar Lite, Splenda or Splenda-sugar blends for baking. Subbing 1 cup of sugar with a sugar substitute saves 750 calories.
  
  
• Finally, to burn calories and improve digestion, cap the dinner off with a walk instead of a nap.
  
  

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