The Perfect Bite: The worst Holiday treat
‘Tis the season for holiday parties! And as we know all to well, with that often comes the temptation to eat a little bit of everything at the dessert table. But how do you get into the festive spirit without being a food scrooge? On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Andrea Jenna is joined by registered dietitian Stefanie Senior. They take a look at five popular holiday treats you might find at your next party and dish on what you should and shouldn’t indulge in.
PC The World's Best Egg Nog (per 1 cup (250 ml), 290 calories, 11 g fat, 200 mg sodium, 34 g sugars)
“That’s good,” Stefanie says after taking a sip. “It’s delicious.”
“This would probably be one to stay away from, I would think,” comments Andrea. “It’s just really sweet and thick.”
“You have to sip it,” agrees Stefanie. “You can’t chug that back, that’s for sure!”
WALKERS Festive Shapes Shortbread (Best health-wise, per 2 biscuits (29 g), 150 calories, 9 g fat, 85 mg sodium, 5 g sugars)
“Even though these are sweet, I feel like they would be a better choice than egg nog,” says Andrea.
“It doesn’t taste as sweet as the egg nog,” agrees Stefanie.
If you’re looking to indulge, Stefanie says this is the best choice when it comes to your health.
“The best choice here would be the shortbread cookies at 150 calories, 9 grams of fat and only 5 grams of sugar,” she says.
FARMER'S MARKET Pecan Pie (Worst health-wise,Stefanie’s favourite: per 1/8 pie (73 g), 330 calories, 19 g fat, 140 mg sodium, 20 g sugars)
“I definitely love pecan pie, it’s one of my seasonal favourites,” Andrea says. “But I’m pretty sure it’s really bad for you.”
“This is really sweet,” Stefanie comments.
This yummy pie wins over Stefanie in the taste department, but unfortunately, it’s the worst of the bunch when it comes to health.
“It’s tied in calories with the panettone,” she explains. “However, the pecan pie is very high in fat. It’s got 19 grams of fat, where the panettone only has 13 grams of fat. And this is also very very high in sugar at 20 grams of sugar, where the panettone is 19 grams of sugar.”
SIMPLY FOOD Caramel Popcorn with Cashews (per 1/2 cup (40 g), 190 calories, 6 g fat, 130 mg sodium, 18 g sugars)
“It seems pretty light,” says Stefanie after tasting this festive popcorn.
“You don’t just take one popcorn and are satisfied,” says Andrea. “I could eat the whole bowl!
TRE MARIE Panettone Milanese (Second worst health-wise: per 1/9 cake (83 g), 330 calories, 13 g fat, 100 mg sodium, 19 g sugars)
“It tastes light and fluffy and has dried fruit chunks,” Stefanie says.
This fruity option strikes Andrea as the healthiest.
“I really think that might be better for you than all the rest,” she says.
Best way to tackle the dessert table
“I always recommend that you first assess what’s there,” Stefanie suggests. “What is going to satisfy your sweet tooth or your cravings the most? And then tackle that. It’s not a good idea to try everything there, otherwise your calories will skyrocket. If you just decide on one or two small items, you’re more likely to stay on track and not do any damage to your healthy eating plan.”
“Watching your portions is the No.1 rule. No.2, you can look at desserts that are lower in calories, so things that are fruit-based. Or things that are just made with lower-calorie ingredients. So for instance, something like cheesecake, a regular cheesecake would be very high in calories, where a gingerbread cookie would be less calories.
If you’re still planning your holiday menu, Stefanie says that there are plenty of desserts that are healthy, but just as tasty.
“I usually recommend just taking a traditional recipe and making it healthier,” she explains. “So, subbing in healthy ingredients for less healthy ingredients. So for instance, you could replace half of regular flour with whole wheat flour. Half of the fat (butter, margarine, oil) you could replace with applesauce or pureed prunes.”
“You could add more fruit in it, or dried fruits or nuts instead of chocolate chips.”
And above all, know your limit when it comes to yummy food to avoid sabotaging your waistline.
“I think that the main thing you can do is to indulge with limits,” she suggests. “And the other thing is, don’t take the party home after it is over. Try not to take leftovers!"
What are your favourite holiday foods to indulge in? Do you have any tips for how to stay healthy? Let us know in the comments.
