European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Take the fat out of Christmas dinner by Anita Gosch staff writer you just ate your fill on thanksgiving now Here comes Christmas and even More food. But that does t mean you have to gain another couple of pounds a or leave the table with an uncomfortable overstuffed feeling. You can enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner a Turkey and All the trimmings and even Christmas cookies a As Long As you do it the right Way. Quot you can t really expect to lose during the holidays but you should t gain Quot says capt. Elizabeth Money a registered dietician at the 2nd Field Hospital in Bremerhaven Germany. Quot if you do certain types of things then at least you won t  those things include preparing the dishes a Little differently than you might be used to cutting Down on serving sizes skipping some of the particularly High calorie foods and yes exercising a but just a Little. Money says a traditional Christmas meal of Turkey stuffing Gravy mashed potatoes Sweet potatoes Cranberry sauce Green bean casserole dinner Rolls with butter Pecan pie and ice Cream can total More than 2,000 calories and about 80 to 90 Grams of fat per serving. And that s just one meal. Breakfast snacks and cookies add More calories and fat but Christmas dishes can be easily adapted to be lower in fat and calories you can drastically Cut Down the number of calories and Grams of fat by using fresh products instead of canned or prepackaged ones substituting skim milk Lor whole milk and Margarine for Butler decreasing the amount of sugar and eating pumpkin pie instead of Pecan pie in fact says Money a Christmas meal can be As Low Asby Anita Gosch staff writer Here Are some cooking tips and recipes for a traditional yet healthy Christmas dinner. The recipes which were adapted by army dieticians concentrate on decreased fat and sugar. We be Cut Down on calories but really Haven t sacrificed the taste Quot says army dietician capt. Elizabeth Money the menu consists of roast Turkey stuffing mashed potatoes Sweet potatoes and pineapple Cranberry relish Broccoli with Parmesan cheese Cornbread and pumpkin Pio roast Turkey Turkey is one of the lowest fat meats that you can get says Money especially if you eat the White meat of the breast instead of the dark meat of the legs and if you discard the skin the problem comes in Basting the Bird. Money suggests that you Baste it with Chicken Broth instead of its own juices because the juices contain fat which will be continually reabsorbed she also suggests getting a Plain Tom Turkey that Hasni to been ingested with extra Tat As is the Case with a typical Butterball Turkey. A 3-ounce serving a about the size of a deck of cards a of Light meat no skin contains the following calories 150 sodium 70 my fat 3 pm protein 28 pm carbohydrates 0 cholesterol 105 my a 3-ounce serving of dark meat with skin a that s equivalent to one High or one Large drumstick a has about 225 calories and 15 Grams of lat. If you re tired of Turkey you might want to try Cornish game hens for another Low calorie meat says Money. Or if your family insists on baked Ham for Christmas you can make it with just cloves and pineapple and leave 600 to 800 calories and about 20 to 50 Grams of fat per serving a and that includes ice Cream on the pie. The Good news is that by reducing the number of calories and Grams of fat in your food you la not Only keep from gaining weight but you la be doing something Good for your health we All know that High cholesterol intake increases the risk of heart attack. Now Money says new research has found that High fat intake has been associated with Colon cancer and breast cancer. Quot with heart disease cancer and High blood pressure looming in America Quot Money says Quot its even More important that you watch your  a common belief during the holidays is that you can fast All Day and then Load up at dinner. But skipping meals can be dangerous Quot you la tend to eat More in that one sitting than you would have in the whole Day Quot Money says. Quot for one thing you la be ravenously hungry at dinner and psychologically you la Tell yourself you saved All those calories during the Day so you think you can eat a whole  Money advises eating a Small Low fat breakfast on the morning of your Christmas dinner to help stave off the hunger. Drinking lots of water during the Day will help decrease your appetite As will exercising before the meal. And if you exercise you can have your pie and cookies too a though in moderation. Quot no one food is going to make you fat Quot she says. Quot you have to think of it in the whole setting and Small amounts Are not going to cause the problem. Quot and if you compensate by exercising More then you can at least Burn off some of those calories that you re eating during the  out the molasses Brown sugar or Corn syrup Glaze. A Ham is actually very Low calorie Quot says Money. Quot i would encourage people to look at How they Cook it done to Cook it with the Glaze sauces on top a stuffing prepackaged foods like stuffing often contain extra fat to increase shelf life says Money. On the other hand she says most Home recipes for stuffing often have too much butter and More eggs than you really need. A a cup serving of stove top dressing prepared with butter for instance has 180 calories 9 Grams of fat and 20 milligrams cholesterol Here s a recipe that has much less fat and fewer calories the stuffing should be baked outside the Turkey when baked inside it absorbs the fat from the Turkey. 2 Large onions finely chopped 2 cups minced celery 1 cup chopped fresh Parsley 1 8-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces 10 slices stale or toasted whole wheat bread cubed chopped poultry giblets to taste 1 Teaspoon garlic powder a Teaspoon Pepper 2 Teaspoons poultry seasoning 1 egg. Beaten toss together lightly. Bake in a covered dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Yield 8 cups a /2-cup serving contains calories 50 sodium 180 my fat 1 pm protein 3 pm carbohydrates 9 pm cholesterol 45 my to decrease cholesterol from the egg Yolk you can replace the egg in the recipe with two egg Whites Money says. Note the 180 my of sodium in the recipe is not a lot Money says the recommended daily limit of sodium is about 3,000 to 4,000  potatoes boxed mashed potatoes have about the same number of calories per serving As fresh mashed potatoes Money says but the boxed variety contains sodium. The following food values Are for fresh potatoes. Quot i would stick with making the mashed potatoes very Plain a Money says. Quot just season them to taste add a Small amount of Margarine and use skim milk Quot a 1/2 cup serving contains calories about 100 sodium 0 fat Trace protein 3 pm carbohydrates 15 pm cholesterol Trace Sweet potatoes and pineapple a Sweet potato dish does no to have to be hazardous to your Waistline says Money but it can still taste Good. Quot people Are used to a Sweet potato casserole that has marshmallows nuts and butter. This recipe has pineapple in it so you still get the Sweet Rich taste. But pineapple is a fruit and does no to have any fat in  fresh Sweet potatoes Are better than the canned variety which often contain thick sugary sauces. If you can t find fresh yams go for canned ones without the sauce. 2 pounds Sweet potatoes peeled cooked and mashed 1 cup untrained crushed pineapple in own juices a Tablespoons Orange juice Teaspoon grated Orange Rind 1a Teaspoon cinnamon a cup firmly packed Brown sugar blend the ingredients whip and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Yield 6 Servings a serving size of one sixth of the recipe contains calories 190 sodium 15 my fat 1 pm protein 3 pm carbohydrates 44 pm cholesterol 0 Cranberry relish As with the Sweet potatoes you should use fresh cranberries instead of the canned variety. Fresh cranberries Are considered Quot free Quot food says Money because they contain Only 20 calories per half cup. Canned ones have Quot much much More sugar Quot with about 55 to 80 calories per Tablespoon. If you can t find fresh cranberries Frozen ones will do 1 cup cranberries rinsed drained stems removed 5 Tablespoons undiluted Frozen unsweetened Orange juice 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice a cup peeled and chopped Pear a 1 Tablespoon water a Teaspoon ground cloves a Teaspoon ground cinnamon a Teaspoon ground Nutmeg Combine All ingredients in a Saucepan. Bring to a boil Over High heat then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Chill before serving. Yield 1 cup three Tablespoons contains calories 48 sodium 1 my fat 0 protein 0 carbohydrates 12 pm cholesterol 0 Broccoli with Parmesan cheese just about any vegetable will do for a healthy Christmas dinner As Long As it s fresh and steamed Only with spices and herbs. Instead of a Green bean casserole for instance Money suggests trying French Cut Green Beans with Button mushrooms. Instead of Broccoli with cheese sauce try Broccoli steamed with garlic and Rosemary or even Broccoli with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top Quot that Way you get the taste of the cheese but you Don t get All the fat Quot she says.1 Pound fresh or Frozen Broccoli a cup water steam for 5 minutes on medium heat Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese on lop yield 4 Servings. A 1/2 cup serving contains calories 52 fat 0 carbohydrates 5 pm sodium 55 my protein Trace cholesterol 17 my Cornbread again to lower the cholesterol you can substitute two egg Whites for one whole egg a cup vegetable Oil 1 cup yellow Cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 4 Teaspoons baking powder 1 cup skim milk 1 egg beaten Combine dry ingredients. Add Oil milk and egg mix just until blended pour into 8 x 9-Inch Square baking pan bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes a 2-Inch Square contains calories 120 sodium 110 my de fatted pan Gravy you can reduce the calories til tt.n1tlkin.il Gravy by removing the fat from lilo pan luvs. Army dieticians say. The Turkey and gnaw will be More flavorful if the Bird is basted occasionally with a Tablespoon of wine in addition add a peeled onion a stalk of Coisy and a Carrot to the roasting pan the vegetables should be chopped a before making the Gravy diam the pan juices into a measuring cup a when the fal has risen to the suit Aee. Spoon it off or Siphon with a squeeze bulb Baster. If you Are not in a hurry chill the-uiee., until the fat hardens on lop and scrape Ell a measure the Slock. Add Wales to make the amount of Gravy you want a reheat in Saucepan. A for each cup of Gravy desired Combine 2 Tablespoons of flour and 4 Tablespoons of cold water in a Small cup. Stir 1o make a paste then stir into he simmering liquid. A simmer the Gravy until it s the thickness desired if Loo thick add water a season o taste Wilh Pepper herbs Lemon Luice or vinegar. Sprinkle with chopped fresh Parsley before serving protein 4 pm cholesterol 2 i my fal 5 pm carbohydrates 15gmpumpkin pie a slice of homemade pumpkin pie has about 180 calories a slice of Pecan pie can have an astonishing 700 calories that s because pecans Are considered a fat says Money add the pecans sugar and com syrup and you be got yourself a whopper you can use canned pumpkin pie mix. But substitute evaporated skim milk for the evaporated whole milk and use two egg Whites instead of one whole egg to lower the cholesterol the following values Are based on a pie Wilh a store Boright crust. A serving size of 1/8 of the Pic contains calories. 180 sodium 110 my fat 9 pm protein 4 5 pm carbohydrates 29 pm cholesterol Irace Egglest eggnog a cup of eggnog Wilh rum can have a walloping 600 calories says Money. Try this Low calorie recipe instead i cup instant nonfat dry milk powder 1 Teaspoon rum extract 1 cup ice cubes and water dash Nutmeg or cinnamon in a covered blender blend ingredients until ice molts pour into Glass and add spices. Yield 1 serving an 8-ounce serving contains calories 129 sodium i 10 my fat. Trace pro Terr 8 pm carbohydrates 12 pm Chowns Leniul 5 my recipe values Are approximate measures taken Liem Buwit Quot and  values of foods commonly used 6th edition