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It's
a good time to reconsider food traditions
Nov. 8, 2007
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Some
things should be changed every decade or so. Your hairstyle,
a favorite suit. Even your diet – and some longstanding
holiday food traditions – may be worth considering for
a makeover.
You may wonder: Why bother breaking with tradition when it
comes to holiday foods? After all, Thanksgiving only comes
once a year.
True enough. But for many of us, Thanksgiving – and
other holidays associated with large-scale indulgence –
have the predictable effect of making us feel regret for having
eaten so much or, worse, despair if the holiday sets us back
on well-intentioned weight-loss goals.
Plus, many holiday favorites make reappearances at other times
during the year, some as regular components of many meals.
A once-in-a-while dietary indiscretion may not hurt you, but
what you do more often adds up.
That’s why it’s worth assessing the foods you
put on your holiday table to determine what to keep, what
to tweak, and which recipes to retire. Here are some common
foods I’d put in each category:
* Keep ’em coming: Sweet potatoes cooked with a little
brown sugar or maple syrup, pecans and trans fat-free margarine
such as Canoleo or Earth Balance brands. Cranberry sauce,
used on sandwiches or as a side with casseroles. Yeast rolls
made with whole wheat flour and baked or mashed potatoes,
all with trans fat-free margarine. Fresh fruit and tossed
green salads.
* Change for the better: If you like green bean casserole,
leave off the cream of mushroom soup, and the butter and cheese,
depending upon which recipe you use. Eat the beans steamed
with olive oil, white pepper and slivered almonds. You’ll
save yourself a heap of saturated fat and sodium. Move meat
entrees from the center of the plate to the side. Try replacing
some meats with meatless alternatives. Replace white-flour
rolls with whole grain varieties, gelatin salad with fresh
fruit salad, and enjoy pumpkin pie made with an oil crust
or as pumpkin pudding with no crust at all, topped with low-fat
or fat-free ice cream.
* Out with the old: There aren’t many recipes that can’t
be helped by changing out a few key ingredients. Banish the
trans fat-filled solid shortening used in biscuits and pie
crusts. Also work out of your meals the butter, cheese sauce,
cream sauce, fat-drenched gravies and cheese balls. No fake
foods necessary. Just switch to more olive oil, nonfat dairy
products and fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
Make an overall shift to less food, too. Put less emphasis
on the food, and you’ll eat less of it. Decorate the
table with nice linens and flowers or bowls of fruit in lieu
of jamming every square inch with food.
Other strategies for breaking with tradition:
* Serve more sides. Think of it this way: the more sides,
the more opportunity for variety in color, flavor, texture
and temperature of foods. Side dishes tend to emphasize fruits,
vegetables and grains, the foods that make up the foundation
of a healthful diet.
* Rebalance the nutrients. Play down the entrée, especially
mono-food mountains of meat. Instead, aim for creative mixtures
that integrate beans, grains and bits of fruit in health-supporting
and delicious casseroles, soups and salads.
* Shift the interest to the out-of-doors. Move the conversation
away from the table and take it to the sidewalk or trail.
If you have visitors, take them for a walk around your neighborhood,
a favorite park or go window shopping.
Traditions are created over time, and they often evolve over
time, too, usually for the better. Make this holiday season
a time for some good change.
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