Beth's Favorite Tips for Weight Management through the Holidays

Our nutritionist Beth's Favorite Tips for Weight Management through the Holidays!

• Portion control-use smaller plates.
• Exercise!
• Watch out for excess calories in alcoholic beverages.
• Going to someone’s home for the holidays? Bring a veggie platter or fruit platter, or maybe shrimp cocktail.  Stay away from dips.
• Don’t eat the pie crust and say no to the whip cream.
• Keep your body properly hydrated.  Skip the juice and soda and opt for water.
• Make sensible substitutions for your favorite holiday dish.  Bake plain sweet potatoes
• Substitute skim milk for whole, and non-fat sour cream or greek yogurt for dips.
• Use chopped vegetables instead of butter or sausage to moisten stuffing (cook outside the bird).
• Include steamed veggies at holiday meals.  Your guests will appreciate your healthier choice of steaming instead of baking them in sauce or cheese.  Try a broccoli or brussel sprout bake.
• Buy plastic containers-give your guests the high calorie foods so you won’t be tempted later on.
• Use unsweetened cocoa powder for unsweetened baking chocolate.
• Sorbet instead of premium ice cream.
• Soy chips instead of potato chips.
• Non fat mayo or laughing cow cheese wedges for regular mayo.

Sneaky ways to reduce calories in your foods.

Substitute:

• Evaporated skimmed milk for heavy cream
• Ground turkey for ground hamburg
• Canadian bacon or turkey bacon for regular bacon
• Dill pickle for black olives
• Lite or non-fat cheese for regular full fat cheese.
• Mashed cauliflower with laughing cow cheese wedges for mashed potatoes

Baking Substitutions:

• Non-fat plain yogurt instead of oils when making quick breads or brownies
• Leave the frosting off the cake and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top instead.  A light sprinkle over  cakes and brownies significantly cuts calories and fat compared to having frosting.
• Add more cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves or ginger to recipes that call for these spices and decrease the amount of sugar the recipe calls for.
• Toast nuts before mixing them into batter or dough and decrease the amount needed in the recipe.  Toasted nuts have a stronger flavor so you can use less.

Beth Almstrom, Nutrition Director

Beth Almstrom studied nutrition at Keene State College, and has extensive experience developing nutrition education materials.  She is known for her unique talent in "translating" nutrition principles and guidelines into practical, realistic eating plans.  Whether you are challenged by a busy lifestyle, frequent travel, long work hours, stress, or medical issues, Beth is the expert who can help with problem solving, for real life success.  

You can make an appointment and meet Beth in person, or have a nutrition consult online or via phone.   Call any time at (603) 379-6500.  Read more about our program here: http://www.physicianshealthyweightcenter.com/about_us