Consumer Focus

Food for the Holidays

The holidays are here again-time to celebrate with family and friends and to enjoy lots of delicious, delectable delights. But wouldn't it be great if traditional holiday fare could be both good for your health and pleasing to your palate? Here are some tips and ideas to help you plan and prepare healthy, crowd-pleasing food for this holiday season.

What's Cookin'?

When you are thinking about which foods to make for your family and friends, take into consideration any special needs they may have. If possible, try to adjust some recipes to accommodate them. For example, you could leave the salt out of some dishes and let diners add their own. You could cook a small meatless version of a casserole.

For tips on preparing low-sodium foods check out:

• Global Health and Fitness: Thanksgiving Recipes
• Megaheart.com Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
• Recipezaar: Low Sodium Holiday Recipes
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: Healthy Kwanzaa Recipes

For vegetarian recipes visit:

• Veggies Unite
• VegSource
• Allrecipes.com: Vegetarian Holiday Recipes
• International Vegetarian Union: Holiday Recipes
• In a Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas: Holiday Recipes

Another important group to keep in mind when planning your holiday feast is your children. Be sure to include fun foods kids can help prepare. Some good resources for kid-friendly recipes are:

• Allrecipes.com: Kids Recipes
• Verybestbaking.com
• Pillsbury
• Kraft Kids Corner

For other, holiday recipes, explore these sites:

• Hanukkah
• Christmas
• Kwanzaa

With any type of food you offer, be sure to prepare and serve it safely. For example, if you are hosting an open-house buffet, be aware of how long things sit out. You may not want to put the chicken salad out at noon if it won't be eaten until later that evening - the salad may become warm, putting it in the danger zone for bacteria growth. Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long they have been sitting on the table and discard anything that has been sitting longer than that period of time.

Hot food should be held at 140° F or warmer. Keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, or warming trays. Cold food should be held at 40° F or colder. Nest dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and refill them often with food from the fridge. For more tips on serving food safely, and food storage, see "Cooking for Groups" and "Preventing Food-Borne Illness."

Other Resources

For more information on food and weight management check out these resources on the World Wide Web:

• Can Your Kitchen Pass the Food Safety Test?
• Cooking for Groups: A Volunteer's Guide to Food Safety
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000
• Fight BAC™: Four Simple Steps to Food Safety
• Fitness and Exercise
• Fruits & Vegetables: Eating Your Way to Five a Day
• Food Guide Pyramid
• Food Allergies: When Food Becomes the Enemy
• Listeriosis and Food Safety Tips
• Making Healthy Food Choices
• Preventing Food-Borne Illness
• Thermy™: Use a Food Thermometer
• Weight Loss: Finding a Weight Loss Program that Works for You

• Publications available for ordering from the Food Page
• Publications available for ordering from the Health Page

Web Sites*:

• Allrecipes.com
• American Dietetic Association
• Epicurious.com
• FDA-Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
• International Food Information Council
• USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
• Weight-Control Information Network

*If you click on these links, you are leaving our web site. Please bookmark us before you leave so you can return easily. We are not responsible for the content of these web sites.

Let's Talk Turkey

One of the most popular foods during the holidays is turkey. Many people enjoy turkey for at least one of their holiday dinners--and the leftovers for many days after that. Luckily, you can find a variety of delicious ways to prepare your turkey and your leftovers on the web. Some sites to explore include:

• National Turkey Federation
• Allrecipes.com: Thanksgiving Recipes
• Better Homes and Gardens
• Meals.com
• The Food Network

No matter how you serve it, there are a few things to keep in mind while preparing your turkey. Most important is to remember to cook turkey to the correct temperature. Raw or undercooked turkey can contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning and other serious health problems.

So how do you know when your turkey is done? Use a food thermometer to insure the thigh and the center of your bird reaches a minimum of 180 degrees-the correct internal temperature for turkey. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends cooking the stuffing outside your turkey. If you decide to go the traditional route and cook it inside the bird, make sure its center reaches at least 165 degrees.

Other turkey tidbits can be found in USDA's " Food Safety of Turkey." Or call USDA's Meat and Poultry hotline at 1-800-535-4555 for answers to your food safety questions. Get more facts on safe food handling with "Use a Food Thermometer."

Hampering Holiday Weight Gain

It's tradition: most Americans gain some weight during the holiday season-typically between one and five pounds. How can you not? It may seem impossible with all the dinners, parties and treats. Luckily, there are some strategies to help keep some of the extra pounds at bay.

• Substitute low fat and low calorie ingredients, or reduce the amount used of high fat/calorie substances. For example: use yogurt instead of sour cream; use raisins instead of chocolate chips; use 1/3 less oil/shortening and 1/3 less sugar in recipes; use non-stick cooking spray on pans; use skim milk instead of whole milk; etc.
• Eat moderate portions of food - don't stuff yourself.
• Make good food choices. Fill up on low-calorie and low-fat items. For example, instead of fruitcake, eat dried fruit. Instead of ham, choose turkey. Instead of stuffing, eat cornbread or dinner rolls.
• If you can't resist those rich, delicious, fattening foods that you love but know you shouldn't eat, try exercising your self-control by taking only a few bites.
• Before you head out to a party, fill up with a healthy snack. This will make you feel full and less likely to munch on high calorie, high fat holiday treats.
• Watch your consumption of alcohol. The empty calories of alcoholic beverages can be quite fattening. In addition, the effects of alcohol consumption might cause you to loosen your resolve to limit your food intake. Try sparkling water or juice instead.
• When you're not out on the party circuit, try and stick with your exercise routine. If you don't already have one, try to start a new routine or fit some extra physical activity into your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away at the shopping mall. Walk to the corner store instead of driving.

Here are some examples of healthy lower-fat/calorie holiday food choices:

• Pumpkin is loaded with Vitamin A and when it's pureed can be a substitute to replace fat in baked goods (used in a similar fashion to applesauce).
• Sweet potatoes have Vitamin A, Vitamin C, lots of fiber, and potassium.
• White potatoes contain Vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, and some minerals such as iron and copper.
• Figs (as in fig pudding) have potassium, calcium, magnesium, and niacin.
• Roast turkey (skinless) has about 20 grams of protein per 3 ounces, Vitamin B6, and niacin, with almost no fat.

For additional information on weight control and diet see the following publications Available: Weight Loss: Finding a Weight Loss Program that Works for You, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000.

For more information on other popular consumer issues check out our Consumer Focus Archive.