December Issue 2023
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Switching ingredients for healthier alternatives<br />
can help add more nutrients to your holiday<br />
meals too. Some swaps you can make to<br />
recipes include replacing butter or cream with<br />
broth when making mashed potatoes, using<br />
yogurt in desserts, creamy sauces, dressings,<br />
mashed potatoes, casseroles, and butternut<br />
squash soup in place of sour cream, and<br />
replacing butter with olive oil. 1 Other ways to<br />
cut back on unhealthy fats and sugar include<br />
replacing half of the butter in a recipe with<br />
unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, or<br />
prune puree, reducing the amount of sugar in a<br />
recipe by 1/3 or ½ and adding spices<br />
(cinnamon, cloves, and allspice) and extracts<br />
(almond, vanilla, and wintergreen) to enhance<br />
the flavor, and cutting the amount of cheese in a<br />
recipe in half. 2 Choosing healthier cooking<br />
methods, such as broiling, grilling, steaming,<br />
and baking, can help make your holiday meals<br />
healthier as well. 2<br />
You can, for instance, broil your fish, meat, and<br />
vegetables instead of frying them, and use<br />
nonstick pans to avoid adding oil. Also, instead<br />
of basting in oil, you can try using vinegar or fruit<br />
juices. 2<br />
If you want to get inspiration or don’t know what<br />
to make for the upcoming holiday dinner, you<br />
can always visit the USDA’s website and look<br />
up healthy recipes for any holiday that you<br />
celebrate. 3 The USDA’s website includes<br />
recipes that are affordable and that meet the<br />
MyPlate criteria, so you know you are making<br />
meals that have greater nutritional value. As you<br />
can see, there are many ways to make healthier<br />
dishes for the upcoming holiday season. I hope<br />
that this article helps those who want to prepare<br />
their favorite holiday treats and eat healthy at<br />
the same time.<br />
20<br />
References<br />
1. MacPherson R. Boost your holiday meals with these 9 nutrition tips. Verywell Fit. November 16, 2022. Accessed October 16, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
https://www.verywellfit.com/ways-to-make-your-holiday-meal-more-nutritious-5208789.<br />
2. Williams E. Tips for making your holiday meals healthier. Michigan State University. November 7, 2022. Accessed October 16, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/tips_for_making_your_holiday_healthier.<br />
3. Healthy, thrifty holiday menus. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Accessed October 16, <strong>2023</strong>. https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/resources/nutritioneducation-materials/healthy-thrifty-holiday-menus.
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