Best and Worst Holiday Foods

Appetizers and pre-dinner nibbles can add substantial calories to your holiday calorie intake. If choosing higher-calorie, higher-fat foods, remember to limit the portion size.

Better choices: Vegetable sticks and non-fat/low-fat dip; pita slices and hummus; low-fat/non-fat cheese on light crackers

Poorer choices: Oil-roasted nuts, chips, Chex-mix

Turkey

Better choice: Light meat (breast, back) without skin

Poorer choice: Dark meat (leg, thigh) with skin

Did you know that if you choose a portion of turkey breast without the skin, you save yourself up to 110 calories and 9 grams of fat?

Tips for keeping your turkey trim:

• Remove the skin before serving
• Don't choose a self-basting bird
• Use a non-stick cooking spray to grease the pan when cooking or baking
• Instead of using the fatty drippings for basting, try using fat-free ingredients such as wine or soup stock

Duck

Duck can be a festive holiday variation from the traditional turkey. Higher in calories and fat than turkey, it is best consumed without the skin.

Ham

Commonly served during the holidays, ham is available in different forms, such as whole ham, boneless, honey-cured and canned.

Fat and sodium/salt content are the two factors you need to keep in check with this meat.

• Select leaner hams when available
• Trim all visible fat
• On a sodium-restricted diet, regular ham should be avoided

Better choice: Whole-grain stuffing with extra herbs, fruit and vegetables, cooked on the stovetop

Poorer choice: Traditional stuffing cooked inside the bird

On average, half a cup of traditional stuffing has approximately 180 calories and 9 grams of fat. You can reduce this by trying some of the following tips:

• Rather than stuff your bird with traditional bread stuffing, try this idea instead: Boil some lemons, spike them with a skewer to release the liquid, and stuff the bird with the lemons. As the turkey cooks, it absorbs the juicy lemon marinade.
• If you can't live without bread stuffing, cook it on the stovetop instead of in the bird. Stuffing inside your bird absorbs extra fat during cooking.
• Use fresh bread crumbs instead of packaged stuffing mixes or cubes.
• Use whole-grain bread for extra fiber.
• Chop up plenty of herbs (sage, parsley, thyme and marjoram), onions, celery, carrots, peppers and add dried fruit such as raisins, dates or apples for fat-free flavor.

Better choice: Mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes/yams - made with non-fat milk or low-fat buttermilk and without butter

Poorer choice: Candied sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, brown sugar and butter

Candied sweet potatoes add extra calories, carbohydrates and fat to an already delicious, sweet vegetable! Instead, simply mash potatoes and sweet potatoes with skim milk or low-fat buttermilk instead of whole milk. Skip the butter! Instead, garnish with parsley or other herbs, or sprinkle with chopped apples or cranberry for a sweeter touch.

Better choice: Fat-free homemade or canned gravy

Poorer choice: High-fat, thick gravy, made with pan juices

If it just wouldn't be a holiday meal without gravy, try these fat-saving tips:

• Use a powdered gravy product with water or a fat-free, low-sodium broth to make gravy
• Refrigerate the turkey juices and skim the solidified fat off the top, adding the remaining juices to the gravy
• Use a gravy cup that skims off the fat

If you're a fan of cranberry sauce, keep in mind that it's laden with sugar and calories! Instead, try a homemade sauce made from fresh, mashed cranberries with a generous splash of balsamic vinegar or apple juice concentrate.

Better choice: Low-fat/fat-free dessert, light pumpkin pie, served alone or with low-fat or fat-free ice cream

Poorer choice:  Traditional apple or pumpkin pie served with ice cream or whipped cream

Many recipes can be made lower calorie by adapting or "converting" them, using recipe alternatives. When adapting recipes, you can use the same quantity of a low-fat ingredient to replace a high-fat ingredient, or adjust the amounts.

For example, the following are recipe ingredients for Pumpkin Pie – traditional, and a "converted" Low-fat Pumpkin Pie: