Healthy Habits

Making the Holidays Healthier

Balance your holiday diet with simple ingredient substitutions and recipe swaps

BY JULIA LANDWEHR

Cookies, breads, pastries, candies, roasts, drinks—all important parts of any proper holiday celebration. And while winter parties and dinners are never complete without a plethora of these tasty treats, some of our annual favorites are, unsurprisingly, not the best for our bodies. Paying attention to our nutritional needs, and perhaps getting ahead of that New Year’s resolution, isn’t as hard as you might think, though. It’s all about balancing traditional staples with creative alternatives to your holiday recipes.

Everyone has favorite holiday recipes. However, eating these comfort foods often during the winter months means your body may get more calories and perhaps not as many key nutrients—carbs, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and more—that keep our bodies full and functioning properly.

Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, suggests that home cooks try tweaking holiday recipes by substituting healthier ingredients for ones with little nutritional value.

EXPERIMENT WITH HEALTHY BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS

Zeratsky says that some of the best ingredient substitutions are the small ones—switching from all-purpose flour to wholewheat pastry flour is an easy way to add fiber to your holiday desserts and breads without losing out on that light, fluffy texture. Another easy substitution? Exchange saturated fats for heart-healthy unsaturated fats, like replacing lard or butter for canola, corn, olive or sunflower oil. You can use fruit purées like applesauce in place of some fats in your recipe, which will also add flavor and moisture. Or, try using plain yogurt in place of sour cream to add more protein to a dish.

Mayo Clinic’s healthy and festive carrot cake recipe (on the next page) is a great example of what these simple swaps can do. It calls for unsweetened applesauce in place of half the oil and fat-free cream cheese in place of regular. The result is a delicious, rich cake that’s only 280 calories per slice.

Keep in mind that at-home baking substitutions often require a bit of patience to decode. Because baking is nothing short of chemistry, swapping out some ingredients—especially those integral to the rise or texture of baked goods, like baking soda or eggs—may leave you less than happy with the result. Even the most basic substitutions (like swapping in fruit purées, oils or different kinds of flour) vary for each recipe since it depends on the role each ingredient plays in the dish.

“I think there’s going to be some degree of experimentation. You may start with an equal substitution, but you might find that [the amount] needs to be changed, depending on the type of ingredient,” Zeratsky says. “The fortunate thing is there are good [online] resources.”

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING, MADE SIMPLE

If the idea of fiddling with your favorite holiday desserts and breads seems too daunting, there are easier ways to make your foods healthier. In cooking, you can get away with switching things up more. If a recipe calls for copious amounts of salt, scale back and add citrus zest or additional spices for a healthier yet flavorful dish. If your holiday staples use beef, try turkey or chicken for leaner options.

On an even more basic level, Zeratsky says that simply swapping out some of your holiday snacks is a great place to start. Instead of just cookies and sweets, include some fruits, vegetables and nuts. Apples, pomegranates, kiwis and pears are all in season during the holidays. And, if you’re really worried about the sweet lovers of your group, consider adding a yogurt-based dip—you can even swirl in some Nutella.

TREATING YOURSELF TO TRADITION

Even though there are many ways to make classic holiday fare more nutritious, it’s all about balance. Zeratsky emphasizes that if there is a certain dish that is important to your family and is an integral part of your holiday tradition, there’s no need to sacrifice memories to save a few calories. “There’s a time and a place to honor tradition, and then there’s maybe a time and a place when we’re eating something with a little more frequency—then we might consider…that it’s going to have a greater impact on our nutrition,” she says.

If you’re a sucker for Christmas cookies, consider using healthier fats or alternative natural sweeteners rather than sugar when you’re baking. Another trick is to box up the majority of the treats right after they cool and give them as part of holiday gifts while saving maybe half a dozen for yourself. Just don’t feel guilty about enjoying those special holiday favorites, like your grandmother’s gingerbread recipe or the annual chocolate yule log: As Zeratsky says, it’s all about “how much and how often.”

The most important thing is to listen to your gut. Although it can be tempting to reach for processed foods when we’re tired, anxious or overwhelmed, Zeratsky reminds that it’s often these foods that make us feel even worse. Take the time to pay attention to your body’s needs and balance your diet to include healthy, nutritious snacks and dishes from all food groups.

This holiday season, take stock of the recipes that really matter and dig in. But for unhealthy foods that we reach for without thinking, consider making a simple ingredient swap in a recipe or trading these foods for something with more nutritional value.

Simple Swaps

TRADITIONAL INGREDIENT

Breadcrumbs Butter, oil, shortening (in baked goods) Oil (in baked goods) Cream

All-purpose flour

Ground beef

Seasoning salts (garlic salt, onion salt) Sour cream

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE

Rolled oats, crushed bran cereal Applesauce or prune purée for half of amount called for Trans-fat-free spreads Fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk Whole-wheat flour for half of amount called for Lean ground chicken breast or ground turkey breast Herb-only seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder or freshly chopped herbs) Plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt

Always consult your doctor if you have health concerns or before making any major dietary changes.

Carrot Cake MAKES 16 SERVINGS, RECIPE COURTESY OF MAYO CLINIC

11/3 cups shredded carrots 3 cups water 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1½ teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ cup corn oil ½ cup unsweetened applesauce 5 egg whites from large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla ¼ cup chopped walnuts ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut ½ cup canned, crushed pineapple (in own juice), drained

For the Frosting 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature ¾ cup powdered sugar ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Dust with a bit of flour (about 1 tablespoon) and turn the pan over to remove most of the flour. 2. In a medium saucepan, add carrots and water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Drain the water and set aside to cool. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. 4. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the oil, applesauce, egg whites and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until well blended. Fold in the cooked carrots, walnuts, coconut and pineapple. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely on the cooling rack, about 1 hour. 6. For the frosting: In a small mixing bowl, add cream cheese and beat slowly with an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar slowly and continue beating. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Frost the top and sides of the cake. 

NUTRITION

CARROT CAKE:

1 PIECE: CALORIES 280; FAT 9g (sat. 2g); CHOL 1mg; SODIUM 192mg; CARB 48g; FIBER 1g; TOTAL SUGARS 36g; ADDED SUGARS 32g; PROTEIN 4g