With the Thanksgiving holiday ushering in a season of festivities and feasting, watching your weight can become more of a challenge. Controlling your intake of fat, sugar and calories becomes harder still when the season’s traditions call for home-baked goodies, seasonal candies, holiday cocktail parties, and special family dinners of five courses or more.
According to dietitians at Cooper University Hospital, a few smart choices can help you get through the holidays without the seven- to 10-pound weight gain that many Americans experience between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
While portion control and regular exercise are paramount to holding down the pounds, substituting lower-calorie and lower-fat ingredients to use in your holiday recipes can be especially helpful during this time of year.
Dietitians at Cooper University Hospital offer these ingredient substitutions to help you enjoy the season’s culinary traditions and keep your weight from escalating.
Weight-Conscious Ingredient Switches
| Higher Fat / Calories | Lower Fat / Calories |
| Evaporated whole milk | Evaporated fat-free milk |
| Sour cream | Plain low-fat yogurt |
| Cream cheese | Neufchatel or “light” cream cheese |
| Whole milk mozzarella cheese | Part-skim milk, low-moisture mozzarella cheese |
| Whole milk ricotta cheese | Part-skim milk ricotta cheese |
| Whipped cream | Evaporated skim milk can be whipped (using very cold milk and beaters) with a little sugar and vanilla extract for a fluffy dessert topping. |
| Heavy cream | Combine equal parts 1% milk and evaporated skim milk to use in cream soups and sauces. |
| Butter or Oil | Applesauce or prune puree can be used to replace up to half the fat (butter, margarine, shortening, oil) in baked goods such as cakes, brownies, quick breads, muffins and cookies. |
| Eggs | Two egg whites or ¼ cup of egg substitute (e.g. Egg Beaters) can replace each whole egg. |
| Sugar | Some calorie-free sugar substitutes (e.g., Splenda), perform well in baked goods, such as cakes, muffins and pie fillings. Check the manufacturers’ labels. |