Vacation is a time for friends, fun and tasty. And with the right menu - and a little planning forward - you can keep your calories in check as well.
"My best advice is to be aware of your food choices," says Toby Smithson, a nutrition academy and a spokesman for dietetics. "Planning as much as possible is fundamental to help put your brain on the driver's bank in making food decisions wiser."
This advice works for both hosts and guests.
Men's Fat Loss Meal Plan - Ideal Holiday Meal: Keep Traditions, Trim Calories
for appetizers, Smithson recommends making dives using fresh nontfat yogurt, parsley or lemon. Serve them with raw vegetables. Olives, which contain healthy fats, make good appetizers as well.
A good match is this grapefruit and cranberry salad. It has spinach and butter lettuce played with vinaigrette of grapefruit juice, dried cranberries, palm hearts and juicy grapefruit pieces.
Next course? How about a walnut baked pumpkin apple soup? It is low in calories, saturated fats and cholesterol - and packaging in 6 grams of fiber per portion.
Now you are ready to serve a super healthy and tasty main course. Start with an organic bird, and brine in a low mixed sodium blend of fresh crushed garlic, lemon juice, crushing sauce and water for 24 hours. Then follow the rest of this recipe for lemon garlic Roasted Turkey with white wine sauce.
For a delicious side dish, try this creamy gratin of broccoli and cauliflower. Instead of cream and butter, you use low-fat milk, olive oil and bread crumbs, enlarging nutrition and lowering saturated fats.
and for dessert, whip a light pumpkin and easy cream pie weighing in just 161 calories per slice.
Looking to cut more calories? Here are simple changes to make a spectacular and healthy meal:
- If you are serving cranberry sauce, make it fresh cranberries.
- Whip your puree potatoes with non-sodium chicken, sodium chicken or vegetable broth, milk with low fat or half-free and half. Add roast garlic for a taste push.
- Instead of sweet potato pie, cut and bake your sweet potatoes, sprinkling them with cinnamon and a canola or olive spritz or butter spray. "I love using orange halves filled with puree sweet potato, [alternative] sweetener, cinnamon, dried cranberries, nuts and covered with a pair of mini-marshmallows and roasted in the oven," says Smithson. For those who prefer honey or sugar, a small amount can be added instead of alternative sweeteners.
- Replace the apple pie with baked apples. Serve with chopped walnuts and a cinnamon stick at the apple core.
- Instead of a creamy bean casserole, serve red baked pepper strips and green beans.
- Have a lightweight snack at home, so you're not starving when you arrive.
- Eat slowly as you recover friends and family.
- I like small bites for you to have room for the things you like best.
- Go easy on alcohol. A lot of drink can take you into trouble at a party in more than one way.
- If you have a sweet tooth, fill the vegetables at the beginning of your meal. So you will not need much dessert to feel satisfied.
If you are the host or the guest, remember that the ideal vacation meal is the one in which everyone relaxes and likes.
