Smart, heart-healthy choices will help you enjoy your seasonal favorites without the unwelcome calories. The American Heart Association recommended a few ways to indulge at the holidays — guilt-free.
Reduce the calorie content of eggnog by mixing three parts skim milk to one part egg nog. Check the label on apple cider for added sugar content. Alternate your holiday beverages with a glass of water to leave less room to overindulge.
Did you know rolls and bread are high in sodium? Limit both at holiday gatherings. Reach for the lighter part of the turkey, it has fewer calories than dark meat. And make it a sweet ending by sharing your dessert selection.
American Heart Association, visit heart.org
If you are looking to manage your sugar and weight this season, but still want the traditional feast to include popular foods, try a sweet potato. They are an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). They play several roles in good health, including functioning as an antioxidant.
Lori Izeman of the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland provides this sweet potato recipe. Visit, diabetespartnership.org for recipes and information.
INGREDIENTS:
• 3 pounds sweet potatoes
• 11⁄2 cups pecan pieces
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• Sugar substitute
1. Poke the sweet potatoes several times with a sharp knife and roast at 400 degrees. until soft – about 45-60 minutes depending upon the size.
2. Make the topping – chop 1 cup of the pecans until it is ground into a meal. Add about 1/4 cup sugar substitute, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Chop until blended. Mix the rest of the pecan pieces in by hand.
Let the sweet potatoes cool for 10-15 minutes. Split them and remove the pulp. Blend them with the rest of the butter (3 tablespoons). Add the rest of the seasonings (1 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, salt and black pepper). When the seasonings are to your taste, add the egg and blend.
4. Put sweet potatoes in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle pecan topping over the top. Bake at 375 degrees. until the topping is browned.
