Celebration foods that are diet friendly

[Gina]

I am looking for some foods that I can make or bring to parties that will taste great, fit the holiday theme, but that won’t end up making me gain ten pounds through the time between Christmas eve and new year’s day.

I usually make treats that are based on chocolate or peanuts (or both) and that also contain a lot of ingredients like sugar and butter. But this year, I know that I’ll be eating enough of that kind of stuff already. Now I need something that will give me an alternative to those things so that I don’t have to feel guilty at each bite, but that will still taste amazing.

Does that kind of food actually exist? If it does, what is it?

[bigbobby]

Probably one of the easiest things that you can do if you want to keep calories low but make sure that the taste is great and it is still something that makes you want to celebrate, is to just melt down some dark chocolate and dip berries in it. Blueberries and strawberries are especially good. Because it’s dark chocolate, it doesn’t have any calories in it and it is actually a lot better for you than milk chocolate or white chocolate.

Plus, if you do it yourself, you’ll save a lot of money and people will be really impressed with what you have brought.

[tammybear]

There are actually a lot of great options that you can serve or that you can bring. If you make angel food cake with fresh berries or tropical fruits, it seems like something really decadent but it’s very low in calories.

Also, if you make meringues, they will be very appropriate for this time of year because they look like little snowballs but they are made of egg whites which have protein but that are very low in fat and cholesterol.

I think that these are really great options for any holiday treat and other people will really appreciate it because you’re not the only one who feels very guilty about all of the sweets and junk food being eaten at this time of the year.

[Beth]

I find that pretzels are a pretty low in calories and they are popular enough. You can even put a little bit of a dip out for them, like mustard or honey mustard. Neither one of those things is all that high in calories, especially if you are just taking a little taste of it when you eat the pretzels and not actually dunking the whole thing in. Don't forget that portion size plays an important role in the calories you get from just about anything.