Menu makeover reduces calories

Monday, December 16, 2013

It’s harder to overeat fattening Christmas goodies when they aren’t being served every day for a month.

Some nutritionists, including Beth Kitchin, say it’s good to enjoy high-test treats at the season’s special meals, but for other meals on the other days from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, cooks can help loved ones avoid weight gain by providing less-caloric fare at home - without even mentioning it.

An assistant professor of nutrition science, Kitchin is quoted by the same University of Alabama at Birmingham news release that suggests we not browbeat people about their weight (see “A healthy gift” on Page 1E). Her personal health goal at Christmas is “just weight maintenance, as it is important to enjoy your favorite foods - just not overdo it.”

Even the army of dietitians that created the federal government’s dietary guidelines for Americans and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ChooseMyPlate website endorse letting people enjoy their holiday feasts.

But at the same time, it’s possible quietly to lessen the caloric impact of everyday foods, Kevin Concannon told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Concannon, who is USDA undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, pointed to a new resource on the website ChooseMyPlate.gov: Every Monday through Jan. 6, the MyPlate team posts a “Holiday Makeover” recipe on the USDA blog and the MyPlate Facebook page.

The recipes come from federal dietitians and have been revamped to use less salt, fat or sugar. The four recipes posted at blogs.usda.gov/ tag/myplateholidaymakeover as of Friday were for a green bean casserole, green mashed potatoes (and they are a lurid,Grinch green), stuffing made in a slow cooker and turkey tetrazzini.

The site also offers advice for adjusting everyday foods to reduce calories and increase flavor by replacing oils with fruit and using more spices (see graphic on this page).

Concannon also touts the website’s tips for stretching food dollars. At the top of the list: looking around your kitchen to see what you have on hand before you head to the store for ingredients. A little common-sense planning can save a good deal of money.

“We’re very interested in that because of the continuing challenges of food insecurity, or people having to skip meals across the country, and anything we can do to try to nudge them in the direction of both healthier eating as well as practical steps to make their food dollar go farther are pluses from our point of view,” he said.

He said that the effort by ChooseMyPlate to provide healthful tips doesn’t mean the USDA wants Arkansas cooks to give up Grandma’s buttery cheese grits at Christmas.

“You know we often revert to our foundation principle of ‘sometime foods,’” Concannon said. “We’re not trying to say, ‘let’s dramatically change’ what you do on Christmas Eve or during traditional family Christmas dinners or Hanukkah dinners, whatever the tradition might be, but we are talking about over the course of a week or two … these suggestions here are intended to help people through the period - not so much to change that meal, the traditional meal.

“I know at my house, stuffing is done the same way every year and when there have been efforts to change it there are protests, from several generations.

“Those are treat foods, sometime foods. And over the course again of the two weeks - I know in my household people camp there for a couple of days and this year since Christmas is a Wednesday, there will be people coming in and out right through the following Sunday - you don’t have to have that same pie recipe every one of those days.

“You can substitute the sweets with more fruits or something that’s basically enjoyable - sweet, but healthier.”

ActiveStyle, Pages 34 on 12/16/2013