HOW TO NAVIGATE THE APPETIZER BUFFET TABLE
Between now and the end of the year most of us can expect to socialize and celebrate more than at any other season. One of the hazards of such holiday gatherings can be an unfortunate tendency to over-indulge in too much of the wrong kind of food. According to the Calorie Control Council, on average we Americans consume 4,500 calories at a typical holiday gathering. Those researchers also report that evidence shows it not unusual for unwary holiday diners to ingest the fat equivalent to three sticks of butter during a single holiday feast.
Quite understandably, fear of “holiday-splurge weight gain” can dampen the mood for health-conscious individuals throughout the season. Don’t let poor food choices now derail your otherwise well-planned nutrition program. Despite what you may have experienced in years past, it is possible this year for you to eat well and still stay on track with good, balanced nutrition throughout the merry month of December. In the next few articles here we will look for ways to focus on flavor without breaking the bank where calories are concerned. Look for practical suggestions for every part of the meal from appetizers to desserts.
>> General Precautions <<<
In a recent study Brian Wansink, Ph.D., noted two important differences between thin people and their overweight counterparts: “In our study,” he noted, “slim people made their food choices more carefully and consumed their meals more slowly.” Other than slowing down and choosing with care, Dr. Wansink and other experts also recommend more techniques to boost self-control:
1.) Before you dig in, scout out the food landscape first. Take a quick trip around the buffet area to reconnoiter, and then decide in advance what you really want to eat. Skip the rest.
2.) Serve yourself using a white or light-colored salad plate instead of a colorful, full-size dinner plate or platter. Wansink’s research showed that people typically took 22 percent less food when they used smaller plates. Another study by researchers at Cornell University confirmed that people also serve themselves less when the color contrast between their food and plate is greater. Small, pale plates are generally your best bet.
3.) Seat yourself as far away from the food as possible. The more you allow your eyes to linger on the food display, the more likely you are to go back for seconds … or thirds. A 2011 study of 464 college students, published in the International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, showed conclusively that sitting near desserts significantly increased both the portion size and the number of servings in those diners’ sweets choices. Do not expose yourself unnecessarily to powerful sensory temptation; instead, focus on the comradery of the occasion and engage in lively conversation with other guests.
4.) Don’t waste your appetite on routine/boring everyday items like prepackaged bread and rolls; instead, save those taste bud treats for the special stuff like Grandma’s once-a-year gingerbread cookies.
5.) Commit in advance to honor the “3-Spoonfuls Rule,” which states that you choose to limit yourself to no more than three spoonfuls of any item that could otherwise wreak havoc on your diet plan. Use the first spoonful to acquaint yourself with the delicacy, then fully enjoy the second spoonful and finally allow the last one to linger on your tongue and build a memory. Use a small spoon to minimize the impact; do not leave the situation open to chance. Decide in advance and then maintain your resolution.
6.) If you feel a need for help to resist the urgings of overzealous hosts to force yet more food upon you, simply pick up a glass of ice water to keep your hands occupied, perhaps add a slice of lemon or wedge of lime and then just politely reply, “Thanks, my hands full here; so, I’m fine for now.”
>>> Appetizers <<<
When you don’t have a good defensive plan prepared in advance, those yummy appetizer tidbits we love to nibble before the main event can present a major challenge to maintaining good nutrition. All too often calorie-laden hors d’oeuvres are able to tempt with an enormous amount of calories and way too much saturated fat before we ever even draw a chair up to the dining room table. So, what’s a person to do while socializing with guests and waiting for the rest of the crowd to arrive? If you are hosting the event, consider offering a selection of the small bites from my dietitian-approved recipes which appear below; otherwise, if you are eating away from home, see whether your host might appreciate a contribution from you to assure availability of prudent hors d’oeuvres choices such as the ones listed below.
Remember, though, even with items tweaked for better nutrition, it is still necessary to control portion size. Limiting yourself to no more than half a dozen appetizers will allow you an opportunity to sample a variety of offerings while still controlling the total calorie intake. Proceed with caution: allow yourself to enjoy a variety of flavors but stop as soon as you have finished with your first serving. Promptly discard your plate, move away from the food display area and then focus on conversation and fellowship instead.
Let me share some favorite recipes for “better-for-you” appetizers that will pack a flavor wallop without sabotaging your healthy eating resolutions:
Slim shrimp cocktail
Even large or jumbo shrimp, when cleaned and boiled, rarely exceed 15 calories per piece. You can select four or five big crustaceans, add cocktail sauce (up to 2 tablespoons at only 50 additional calories) and a squeeze of lemon juice and still maintain your good nutrition plan.
Devilishly good eggs
To cut the fat and calories in this classic appetizer, mix and mash the hard-boiled egg yolks with low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, add a little salt and pepper, vinegar, yellow mustard and low-fat sour cream or yogurt instead of mayonnaise. For additional color/flavor/texture, try introducing finely chopped red or green pepper, thinly sliced onions or scallions, diced water chestnuts or a few crumbles of crisp lower-sodium turkey bacon and top with a sprinkle of paprika or dill weed. Half a stuffed egg will add less than 100 calories while it supplies needed protein, fat-soluble vitamins and choline.
Crudites a plenty
Any combination of fresh veggies — from snow pod peas, cucumbers and baby-cut carrots to grape tomatoes, radishes and red or green bell pepper slices — will add nutrients but not many calories. Visit the vegetable platter and try to fill about half of your plate space with the best of the produce selection. If you choose to dip into the dip, limit your serving to no more than two spoonfuls and consider making one of the reduced-calorie dip recipes below:
Unstuffy stuffed tomatoes
Cut off tops of cherry tomatoes, scoop out pulp and seeds. Set tomatoes upside down on thick paper towel to drain. Mix low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese with Italian or ranch salad dressing seasoning (dry mix from envelope – do not add oil) to taste; add finely chopped carrot, green pepper, onion or finely shredded lettuce if desired. Spoon cottage cheese mixture into tomatoes and top with dill weed or a few crumbles of crisp low-sodium turkey bacon.
Svelte Sriracha shrimp on endive
Wash 20 Belgian endive leaves and allow to dry. Combine 4 finely chopped green onions (reserve 2 tablespoons green tops for garnish), 1 pound chopped shrimp – cooked and cleaned, 1/3 cup low-fat or nonfat mayonnaise and 4 teaspoons Sriracha sauce. Spoon mixture onto endive leaves and garnish with reserved onions. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Mock rumaki or slimmed-down angels and devils on horseback
This update of the chicken liver/oyster/date appetizer popular in the 1960s can be tweaked to include a variety of fillings (for examples, see the three variations which follow immediately). The preliminary preparation, though, is the same for all of them, and all can be served with low-sodium soy sauce for dipping.
1.) preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.) line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a cooling rack over the foil. Set aside
3.) cut strips of low-sodium turkey bacon in half crosswise; place in a single layer between paper towels. Microwave on HIGH for only 1 1/2 minutes (will not be crisp or fully cooked).
— Skinny sprout —
Spread bacon strips with thin coating of savory honey mustard; place one Brussels sprout half (large Brussels sprout – cut in half lengthwise) cut side up on center of a bacon piece; fold ends of bacon over sprout. Place, seam side down, on rack. Repeat for remaining pieces. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and sprouts are tender.
— Keep-it-simple water chestnut —
Place well-rinsed and drained water chestnut (from can) on center of bacon piece, top with a pineapple tidbit or stuffed olive and follow directions above, securing the bacon in place with a toothpick. Reduce oven time to 10 – 12 minutes, or place oven pan under broiler just long enough to brown and crisp the bacon.
— Shrimp-ly delicious —
Following instructions above, place one large or jumbo shrimp on bacon piece. Secure the shrimp in place with toothpick. Reduce oven time to 10 – 12 minutes, or place oven pan under broiler just long enough to brown and crisp the bacon. Before serving, lightly sprinkle with low-sodium worcestershire sauce and a small pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.
Fruit-and-cheese assortment
Any combination of fruits — seasonal or exotic — displayed with cheese varieties can offer excellent choices well within the guidelines of good nutrition. Just remember to limit your consumption to a single serving and be sure to opt for low-fat, part-skim or string cheese choices. One particularly attractive holiday combination is an assortment of seedless grape clusters displayed on a serving tray with fresh strawberries and giant blackberries alongside individual sticks of string cheese — inexpensive and easy to arrange. Alternative display: assemble kabobs of fruit and cheese cubes on bamboo skewers and insert the bamboo sticks into a whole pineapple.
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With this introduction and overview of appetizer options, we are developing a strategy to to tame the “Menu Monster” that might otherwise endanger your good nutrition during the festive celebration season. In future posts we will look at the rest of the meal and explore strategies to help you manage, course by course, to celebrate the very happiest — and healthiest — of holidays this year.