How to Trim Fat, not Flavor, from Holiday Foods

The traditional Thanksgiving dinner can pack 4,500 calories - enough energy to fuel an average woman running two marathons. 

But according to Cate Smith, executive chef for the Diet & Fitness Center and Duke Integrative Medicine, it's possible to cut many of those calories without compromising the flavor and experience of the meal. 

"Food is an important part of the holiday and no one wants to spend the holidays saying `no' all the time," Smith said. "But there are some surprisingly simple changes that can make traditional foods healthier without sacrificing taste."

Smith shared calorie-cutting alternatives at "Healthy Holiday Foods that Taste Great," a DukeWell seminar Nov. 14 at the Duke Integrative Medicine Building on the Center for Living Campus.

Skip the skin: Cooking the turkey with the skin on keeps the bird moist, but removing the skin before serving makes the dish healthier. "Skipping the skin can save you 11 grams of fat per three ounce serving," Smith said. "That means you can still enjoy other good food on the table without feeling guilty."

Slim down on stuffing: Slash the calorie count of stuffing by replacing some of the bread in the stuffing with additional onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms and using low-sodium chicken broth or applesauce instead of melted butter. Smith also suggests cooking stuffing in muffin tins to create individual portions. "Our eyes very easily deceive us about how much stuffing we are eating," she said. "A muffin tin full of stuffing is a perfect half-cup serving."

Mess with mashed potatoes:  Smith learned to make mashed potatoes with butter and heavy cream, but she makes a healthier version with low-sodium chicken broth and a tablespoon or two of Parmesan cheese on top. For more adventurous eaters, she recommends pureed cauliflower or a mixture of mashed potatoes and mashed celery root. "You can roast or boil the celery root and puree it with chicken broth just like potatoes," Smith said. "Mix it in with mashed potatoes, and it adds a wonderfully rich taste with very few calories." 

Reclaim green bean casserole: Instead of cooking green beans in a cream soup and topping with fried onions, Smith suggested cooking the green beans with potato chunks to get that creamy feel, and topping with toasted walnuts or almonds to get a healthier crunch.

Cut sugars in desserts: According to Smith, most pies and cakes have twice as much sweetener than needed. "Try reducing the sweetener in half and see if you notice any difference," she said. Bakers can also enhance the flavor of baked goods by adding extra citrus, vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. Other healthy substitutions include substituting two egg whites for each whole egg in cakes and cookies and replacing heavy cream with evaporated skim milk in cheesecakes and pumpkin pies. 

Sanghee Jeong, a program coordinator at Duke's International House, took copious notes at the seminar, in preparation for cooking her first Thanksgiving meal. 

"I'm from Korea, and I'm married to an Italian, and we've always visited others on Thanksgiving," she said. "But I'm hoping to cook the meal myself this year and excited about learning how to make the meal so that it is healthy."