Six Savvy Tips For Substituting Calories In Traditional Holiday Dinners

It is almost the holiday season again and this time you were elected to host the Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. While you love the traditional food fare, it is not conducive to your dietary goals. What can you do to avoid consuming a normal day's worth of calories in one meal? The key to cutting calories but not the taste or dish altogether lies in substituting fattening ingredients for more healthy ones.

Substituting fattening ingredients with healthier ones will likely not even be noticed by anyone other than you (the chef) and anyone else who has provided aid in the kitchen. Guess what? What your guests don't know won't hurt them! Feel free to swap certain ingredients without fear that you are "ruining" Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some great substitution tips:

1. Eggs-cellent substitutions – When you are making your famous pies for the holiday dinner, substitute real eggs with egg substitutes. Or, you can pull aside double the egg amount the recipe calls for and just use egg whites. Egg substitutions mean lower fat and cholesterol intake – without losing taste.

2. Fat-free or low fat versions – When you are making a dish that calls for a dairy product like sour cream, butter or cream, you can swap the full-fat versions for one of the skinnier ones. Creamy soups could end up on personal menus and you would likely not be able to tell the difference from full-fat and reduced fat options. Making mashed potatoes from low-fat milk will still taste great – or even better, substitute in low-fat chicken broth and save even more calories.

3. Have your cake and whipped cream too – Whipped cream tastes so good on cakes, puddings, pies and more. However, it is full of fat that could go to your hips. Instead of buying the tubs or cans of whipped topping, purchase some lower fat evaporated milk and make your own whipped topping by beating it with a mixer and beaters.

4. Artificial sweeteners can save you some calories when using them to substitute certain Thanksgiving holiday desserts. Most of them like sucralose and saccharine can be used in recipes and cooking. You could replace half to all of the sugar in recipe with an artificial sweetner. You could be saving as much as 50% or more calories by doing so.

5. Substitute healthy fats for unhealthy saturated ones. Vegetable oils often used to fry or sauté things but they are full of saturated or trans fats which can be quite artery-clogging. Use canola oil or olive oil, a monounsaturated fat which does not contribute to blockages of the arteries. These oils can be used in some recipes that call for butter or margarine.

6. Many calories can and do come from beverages so make sure that yours counts. If you are watching your waistline, stick with water – straight up. Unsweetened brewed tea and low-fat or fat-free milk are other acceptable drink solutions.

Get creative in the kitchen as there are many more food substitutions you could indulge in, especially if you are into experimentation. Plan your holiday dinner in advance and check with your old recipes and jot down appropriate substitutions for some of the ingredients. Translating a recipe that way may take extra time but you will be prepared to cook healthy meals and not compromise your diet.