Holiday Nutrition
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: December 16, 2011
Joplin, MO- Indulging in all your holiday favorites can add up to hundreds if not thousands of calories. For example, eggnog - just one cup is 340 calories. Freeman Dietitian Andrea McGrew said, "It's kind of a diet disaster. Some alternatives to it would be, though, if you made your own eggnog and used skim milk and then an egg substitute like eggbeaters. It would cut the calories down to less than 100 per glass."
Green bean casserole is another must have. But at 366 calories, a little bit goes a long way, according to McGrew. "So an alternative to that would be to use the lower fat and lower sodium condensed soups would be a better option for that. And then instead of putting the fried onions on top, you might use a whole wheat bread crumb instead."
And then there are croissants. Buttery and flaky and around 340 calories each. Added McGrew, "You'd be better off with a whole wheat roll. Or if you just watch your portion sizes on it, then you could get the crescent rolls. the Pillsbury ones in the store, they're only 110 calories."
Even turkey, a generally healthy choice, can cause problems. McGrew said, "Dark meat has a lot of saturated fat in it. And also taking the skin off it whether it's the white or dark meat."
