Seven Ways to Cut Calories and Stress at Thanksgiving
>From Thanksgiving to Christmas, increased stress and overeating
are a part of life in our society. Due to increased stress
levels, we are more likely to eat for emotional reasons. The
smells in our homes, on Thanksgiving day, stir up childhood
memories of happy times spent with family and friends. This can
be a wonderful time of the year and with a few tips, we can
manage both emotional needs and caloric intake.
Have soup as a first course. There are many soups which you can
prepare, days in advance, and heat through just before
Thanksgiving dinner. One of my favorites is a pumpkin soup. I
use pumpkin puree as a base. I substitute condensed milk for
cream and flavor it with allspice and ginger. You can add a
little nonfat sour cream and some sliced almonds for garnish, if
you like.
Have an extra slice of turkey. Turkey is packed with nutrition
and lower in calories than most other meats. Just don't eat the
skin. Instead of having one portion each of yams, potatoes and
stuffing - have an extra slice of turkey. Allocate your yams,
potatoes and stuffing so that together they equal one portion.
Try a simpler yam recipe. Instead of the yam casserole with
marshmallows, pineapple and all of the extra calories, try a
baked yam this year. If you cannot do without the extra sweet,
slice yams in a casserole dish. Add a little water and sprinkle
with real maple syrup. They are sweet and delicious but less
calories.
Try a green bean salad. Instead of the traditional green bean
casserole, (You all know the one I'm talking about.),try a green
bean salad. A simple one uses drained, canned green beans, a
little olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a few slices of fresh
garlic. It adds a nice, tart touch to the dinner and is less
calories.
Try to reduce sugar amounts in recipes. Cut the amount of sugar,
called for, in fruit pie recipes by one third to one half. I've
always done this and prefer the taste. Start with one third less
and see if it is to your taste. I get compliments on my pies,
regularly. The sugar will not be missed.
Try alternatives to heavy fats in recipes. For a pumpkin pie
recipe, use an egg substitute and condensed milk instead of eggs
and milk. Try using nonfat sour cream and one half the butter
normally used in your mashed potatoes. In your stuffing recipe,
add a little less butter and a little more chicken broth.
Cook only your favorite foods. Do you really need to prepare all
of the dishes you made, last year? Decide which traditional
dishes you really can't do without and make them. For me, it is
the stuffing that my dad made, before me, and my grandmother
made, before him.
Follow as many of these tips as you like. If you choose only a
few, you will be decreasing your caloric intake and stress.
Balance the more traditional, higher calorie, dishes with some
of the simpler, lower calorie, dishes. By choosing not to make
every dish that your mother or grandmother used to make, you
will be creating less stress for yourself. Involve the whole
family in the decision making of what is to be served and the
preparation of the meal. Reduce the calories and the stress. You
will be thankful for it.