Healthy Substitutions for Healthier (Holiday) Eating
If you eat this | Consider this instead |
Dairy |
|
Whole Milk | 1% or Skim |
Ice Cream | Frozen Yogurt, Sherbert, Sorbet, or Italian Ice |
Sour Cream | Low-fat plain yogurt |
Cream Cheese | Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese |
Whole Milk Cheese | Part Skim Cheese |
Coffee Creamer | 2%, 1%, or Skim Milk, Milk Substitutes, or low-cal/low-fat versions OR consider rich flavors while using very small portions- you can be surprised how far that flavor goes |
Cereal, Grain, Pasta |
|
Fettuccine Alfredo | Pasta with Marinara Sauce |
White Rice | Brown Rice or Wild Rice |
Meat, Poultry, Fish, & Eggs |
|
Chicken or Turkey with skin | Chicken or Turkey without the skin (white meat) |
Pork or Ham | Pork Tenderloin or Ham (trimmed, lean, smoked) |
Breaded or Fried Fish | Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Unbreaded Fish- consider grilling or baking |
Whole Eggs | 1:1 or 1:2 ratio (whole egg to egg whites), use all egg whites, egg substitutes |
Sweets |
|
Cake (pound, yellow, chocolate) | Angelfood, Ginegerbread |
Cookies | Reduced fat and calorie versions such as Graham Crackers or Ginger Snaps |
Custard | Pudding made with skim milk |
Hot Chocolate using syrup and whole milk | Pure cocoa heated with 1% or skim milk |
Fats, Oils, Dressings |
|
Butter | Whipped butter, ‘diet’ margarine (just watch for trans fats and hydrogenated oils) |
Mayonnaise | Mustard |
Baking using oil, shortening, eggs, or lard | Applesauce can be used in place for some recipes |
Other |
|
Cream Soups and Gravies | Broth-based soups or homemade soups using low-fat milk |
Just Because It’s Cold, Doesn’t Mean YouCan’t Fit in Your Exercise
“It’s only cold if you’re not moving”
Using the WebMD Calorie Counter, a person weighing 130 lbs can *potentially* burn the following calories with these winter or indoor activities for 1 hour:
Activity | Calories per Hour |
Ice Skating |
414 |
Skiing, General |
414 |
Sledding |
414 |
Snow Shoeing |
473 |
Building an Ice House |
355 |
Aerobics Class |
355 |
Walking, Treadmill, Brisk |
295 |
Light Weight Lifting |
177 |
Dancing |
325 |
Cycling/Spinning, Moderate |
473 |
As you can see, there are still plenty of ways to burn calories despite the cold weather. There are more activities to do than are listed here. The number of actual calories you will burn depends on a lot of factors including your weight, gender, etc. so this calculator can be a fun estimator but it may not be accurate. How are you going to stay active during winter?
Recipe of the Month: Japanese Yam or Sweet Potato Pie
ingredient list
Serves 10
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Place yam/sweet potato in medium pot, and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain, cool to room temperature, and mash. (You should have 1 cup.)
- Whisk together potatoes, sugar, coconut milk, eggs, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and salt in large bowl. Pour into piecrust and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.
- Cool on rack until ready to serve.
- Per SERVING:
Calories | 194 |
Protein | 3g |
Total Fat | 6g |
Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
Carbs | 32g |
Cholesterol | 42mg |
Sodium | 241mg |
Fiber | 2g |
Sugar | 16g |
DISCLAIMER:
This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. Statements made here have not been evaluated by the FDA. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet or exercise routine.