Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Healthwatch, we're talking about the busiest time of the holiday season. Although a big feast is traditional, nutrition experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say there are ways to trim calories when you're entertaining.
One thing you can do is make substitutions. You can replace mayonnaise in dips and spreads with a mixture of half plain, non-fat yogurt and half mayonnaise. If you're using 2/3 cup of the mixture, that saves almost 500 calories compared to using mayonnaise alone. Other substitutions are skim milk for whole milk, non-fat yogurt instead of cream and broth instead of butter for sautéing.
Lona Sandon , a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern, also suggests putting a big bowl of salad greens and fresh vegetables at the front of the buffet line. That encourages guests to start the meal with a healthy, low-calorie dish.
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December 2005
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