Posted on November 15, 2001 at 9:50 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Overeating at Thanksgiving is one of life’s favorite guilty pleasures, but registered dietitian Suzanne Henson of UAB’s (University of Alabama at Birmingham) EatRight Weight Management System says that with some simple menu adjustments, you can eliminate the guilt while still enjoying the pleasures of Thanksgiving. EatRight has created low fat, low calorie recipes for an entire Thanksgiving meal, including roast turkey, gravy, cornbread, cornbread dressing, relishes, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, cherry salad and pumpkin pie.
“The key is to substitute low fat or fat free items when possible, and/or reduce quantities,” says Henson. “Simply using two egg whites in place of one whole egg, or cutting the amount of butter in a recipe from six tablespoons to four, can make a major difference. We think cooks who follow the entire EatRight Thanksgiving menu can reduce fat and calories by as much as one third.”
Henson has created a trimmings chart that can help cooks make smart substitutions. She says some dishes are well suited to substitution. Gravies, dressings and dishes such as sweet potato casserole are good places to cut fat and calories while not sacrificing taste.“Reducing the amount of sugar in a recipe, for example, while adding sweet spices such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg or cloves can lead to a large savings in overall calories,” says Henson.
Henson says you can enjoy Thanksgiving, but with some simple kitchen-smarts, you can enjoy stepping on the scale the next day, too.