8 naughty holidays foods you should think about

‘Tis the season of tasty foods. On average you might put on a kilo or two. If you are a special diet, holiday dishes can be tricky. This is also a period to be wary about a selection of foods that puts the isis in health crisis, according to a comedian on BBC. It is […]

‘Tis the season of tasty foods. On average you might put on a kilo or two. If you are a special diet, holiday dishes can be tricky.

This is also a period to be wary about a selection of foods that puts the isis in health crisis, according to a comedian on BBC. It is a whole arsenal of festive weapons: gravy gunboats, asparagus spears, assault trifles—and all the while the Russians are blaming the turkey.

Some tips:

·  Talk to people. You’ll slow down your eating pace.

·      At parties, sit or stand far from the buffet table.

·   Excuse yourself from the dinner table once you’ve had enough to eat.

·      Chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free candy to curb your desire to nibble.

To enjoy yourself and make good choices, you need to know what is naughty and nice.

Turkey skin is naughty.

Turkey and chicken skin are loaded with saturated fat. In each gramme, all fats are higher in calories than protein or carbs, and bad fats raise cholesterol. Dark meat has more fat per bite than white meat.

Nice: Serve yourself turkey breast or other white meat without the skin.

Stuffing is naughty. It is  typically loaded with butter and high-fat meats, such as sausage. A single scoop may have up to 550 calories.

Nice: Replace butter with low-sodium chicken broth, and skip pork sausage in favor of a low-fat chicken, oyster, or fruit alternative. Or try making wild rice stuffing instead.

Buttery mashed potatoes? Naughty. Usually, a lot of milk, butter, and salt go into this classic comfort food. A cup of homemade mashed potatoes made with whole milk and butter can have 237 calories.

Nice: Mash the potatoes with low-fat milk or low sodium, fat-free chicken stock and skip the butter, or salt.

Naughty: sweet potato casserole

Sweet potatoes are a great choice. They’ve got vitamins A and C, plus a dose of calcium and potassium. But if they’re in a casserole made with marshmallows, butter, and lots of sugar, that offsets their benefits.

 Nice: Leave out the butter, cut the sugar in half, and lightly top with mini marshmallows. This will shave calories and fat, not taste.

 Naughty: Fancy Finger Foods

Be careful at your office’s holiday party; canapes and other fancy appetizers are often full of fat. Each one is tiny, but the calories add up quickly when there is an endless parade of hors d’oeuvres.

Nice: Chilled shrimp, veggies, and fresh fruits are nutritious low-calorie appetizers.

 Naughty: Caramel Popcorn. You might be tempted while watching that Christmas movie to reach for a box of them. After all, large tins of flavoured popcorn are common at Christmas. Popcorn itself is a whole-grain snack, slathering on sugary caramel or other sweet syrups is a recipe for weight gain.

Nice: Stick to plain popcorn — the crunch is just as satisfying without the extra calories.

Naughty: cakes and cookies

You may find that you crave carbs more during fall and winter. You don’t want to give in by reaching for too many sweets, but you don’t have to ignore the cravings either. Carbs taste good and make you feel good triggering the release of serotonin, a brain chemical that boosts mood.

Nice: The solution is to control portions or snack on complex carbs, such as whole-grain cereal or crackers.

Naughty: milk chocolates

 Milk chocolates are high in fat and low in the nutrients found in purer forms of dark chocolate. Caramel or cream-filled chocolates don’t do anything for your health, either.

Nice: Solid dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa is best, but only in small amounts. Choose dark chocolate with heart-healthy nuts.