Holiday Treats and a Healthy Diet

With the holiday eating season in full swing, now is a time that a lot of us are looking at what we're eating and how to maintain a healthy diet. When people try to eat healthy the first thing that usually goes is dessert. This can be a good and bad idea.

Cutting back on high fat, high sugar, and high calorie desserts is a good idea. However, desserts do not need to be cut out all together. Making healthier choices, choosing smaller portions, and choosing desserts that are lower in fat and calories is a great idea. When you start to restrict and deprive yourself of foods that you want and enjoy you tend to want them even more. Think moderation when it comes to desserts in a healthy diet!

Consider the portion of the dessert - when possible, look at the serving size listed on the package and use that as a guide.
Try to choose treats that have about 100-200 calories per serving.
Choose dark chocolates instead of milk chocolate.
Use fruit as a base or add some to a sweat treat. Top ice cream with fruit, make a smoothie with fruit, or add fruit to a slice of angel food cake.
Purchase single-serving sweets to help with portion control.
Makeover a favorite dessert by using low-fat products in a recipe when possible.

There is nothing wrong with occasionally enjoying a calorie dense piece of cake, pie, or cookie but it may be best to avoid keeping those types of desserts on hand regularly. Try to save these treats for special occasions or once in awhile.

Comparison of Food Facts

Food	Amount	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Cottage cheese	½ cup	108	4.7	3
Cottage cheese (1%milk)	½ cup	81	1.2	0.7
Cream cheese	1 oz.	100	10	6.2
Cream cheese (low-fat)	1 oz.	65	5	3
Tofu	1 oz.	41	2.5	0.4
Butter	2 tbsp	204	23	14.6
Margarine	2 tbsp	202	22	4

Food product nutrition information from Calorie King at http://www.calorieking.com/foods/compare

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Nutritionist Christine Clark works with Dining Services to provide you with tips and techniques to stay healthy during your time at Northeastern. If you have any further questions about this topic or are looking for more information about any other nutrition or diet topic, such as food allergies or sports nutrition, please contact her at christine.clark2@compass-usa.com.

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