Go ahead…live a little! Heart-Healthy Holiday Dining

Worried about sticking to your heart-healthy diet with the holidays fast approaching?

Don’t!

During the holidays and really any time of year, we have plenty of food choices—some good and some not-so-good. It’s a matter of making good choices more often to help control blood cholesterol, blood pressure and risk factors for heart disease.

Your diet should not dictate your plans for the holidays. Sometimes people go so far as to avoid holiday meals with family and friends so they aren’t tempted by the food served. This isn’t the way to celebrate! Good food choices can be made in any eating situation. Remember, it is your usual, everyday food choices that influence your health the most, not what you choose during a few meals a year.

Use the following tips to keep your weight and cholesterol in check through the holidays.

• Avoid going to holiday parties hungry. Eat a light dinner or have a small snack including 1 oz. of cheese and crackers, lowfat yogurt, and a piece of fruit before you go.

• Sample small amounts of the many delicious foods offered at holiday parties. This way you can enjoy a variety of tastes but avoid eating too much of a few favorite foods.

• Do not skip a regular meal in anticipation of a party or holiday meal later.

• Remember that alcohol does have calories. A shot (1.5 ounces) of liquor has 120 calories.

• If you have been served more food than you wanted, don’t hesitate to leave some food on your plate uneaten.

• Don’t overeat or take seconds just to please an insistent host or hostess.

• Fill up on low-fat, high-fiber party foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain crackers and pretzels.

• Watch party foods that are deep-fried or contain sauces, dips, dressings and cheese; these are sure to be higher in fat and calories.

• Maintain your regular exercise program, even if you only have 10 minutes.

• Allow 150 calories per day to “indulge.” This will help you to avoid overeating those really tempting foods.

• There are many delicious foods around us at home, at work and at parties during the holidays. Don’t punish yourself for a little indulgence, but also don’t permit yourself too much indulgence. Any food is OK if you choose it in moderation and watch portion sizes.

• Turkey is a very lean meat (without the skin, of course). A 3 oz. portion of baked turkey only has 3 gm of fat. Lean ham (95% lean) is also a great low-fat meat choice for your holiday meals.

Also, try serving the Cranberry Couscous Salad as part of your holiday meal. Couscous is a wheat product that looks like little tiny round balls of pasta. It is delicious and your guests will love it.

Cranberry Couscous Salad 1 cup water ¾ cup uncooked couscous ¾ cup dried cranberries ½ cup chopped carrots ½ cup chopped seeded cucumber ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool for 10 minutes. In a bowl, combine the couscous, cranberries, carrots, cucumber and green onions. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, mustard and pepper. Pour over couscous mixture; mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Stir in almonds just before serving. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition Facts per serving (½ cup): 199 calories, 4gm protein, 33gm carbohydrate, 6gm fat, 1gm saturated fat, 164mg sodium, 3gm fiber