By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

Anyone who’s ever received a lavish gift basket of edibles, attended get-togethers addled with fat-laden snacks or encountered the enticing aroma of Christmas cookies knows it’s not easy eating healthy around the holidays.

Too often, people adopt the “all or nothing” approach to managing their munching, said Denise Marecki, a registered dietician with the Botsford Center for Health Improvement.

“I think some people have the attitude that, ‘Well, it’s the holidays; therefore, I’m just going to forget about this until January,’” she said.

The scale often reflects the consequences, as the average person gains five to seven pounds over the span of the season, said Marecki, who recently participated in Botsford’s Holiday Healthy panel.

It’s crucial to be selective about indulgences and “not take the whole holiday season as just having the sense of freedom to do whatever you want,” she said. “If 90 percent of the time they’re making good and healthy choices, that’ll make a big difference.”

Temptation-riddled parties are an inevitability around the holidays, but a plan of attack can make them less of a minefield.

Berkley resident Lisa Howard, who pens The Cultured Cook, a culinary blog focusing on fresh produce and whole grains, recommends confronting enormous spreads by taking an evaluation lap before settling on the top three options, “rather than just continually picking, picking, picking.”

A “healthy plate,” said Marecki, would be half vegetables and a quarter each of protein and starches.

“If you’re eating a lot of vegetables before you start … then you’ll feel more satisfied,” she said. 

The simpler dishes are, Howard noted, the healthier they’re likely to be, such as an uncomplicated cut of turkey, a fruit salad or a tossed salad.

Nutrition information becomes difficult to discern when it comes to sauces and baked goods. To ease the process for calorie-minders as well as partygoers with allergies, Howard suggests posting labels on dishes, identifying all ingredients.

“I’m a big believer in labeling things,” she said.

But if chocolate mousse pie is what you’ve got your heart set on, it’s better to have a “smallish to medium piece” immediately than snacking your way through the other options and ultimately caving on the pie anyway, said Howard.

Seemingly small tweaks can make all the difference in the nutritional composition of festive fare, according to Jim Oppat, corporate executive chef for Andiamo Restaurants.

“Turkey itself is perfect, as far as leanness and fat content,” said Oppat, who developed the Andiamo Lean menu and is helping Warren Consolidated Schools overhaul its lunches. “It’s just a matter of not actually rubbing your turkey with butter.”

Olive oil and herbs are a better option, he said, and seasoned onions, carrots and celery are a good choice for stuffing the cavity.

Consider cornstarch instead of grease or butter to thicken gravy, and try fat-free sour cream instead of cream and butter when whipping up mashed potatoes for “that same velvety richness,” he said.

Bacon drippings can add flavor to stuffing, but also copious calories and fat. Oppat recommends using applesauce for sweetness and moisture.

He suggests eschewing candied yams for roasted, spiced squash, and giving sugar-saturated canned cranberry relish the slip in favor of a fresh version, incorporating cranberries, apples, water and a “little bit” of brown sugar.

Even dessert can get a healthy makeover. Combine fat-free yogurt with roasted pumpkin or berry puree to create a mousse-like substance that can be piped into a parfait glass, he said.

Substituting whole grain versions for white processed flour, pasta and rice, and using sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes can quickly boost the healthfulness of any dish, added Howard.

Take Pounds Off Sensibly Club Inc., a healthy lifestyle organization with chapters scattered throughout the nation, also has issued its own swap suggestions, such as trading “pigs in a blanket” for mini-quiches, deep-fried crab cakes for steamed or boiled shrimp, and potato chips and dip for raw veggies with salsa or hummus.

TOPS recommends baked apples laced with cinnamon and nutmeg in lieu of caramel-coated apples, and pumpkin pie prepared with evaporated skim milk and egg substitute in place of traditional pecan pie, which can tally a whopping 800 calories per slice.

Even non-nibblers may be consuming more calories than they realize — in their mug or martini glass, as alcoholic and non-alcoholic party drinks alike can pack a mean caloric punch.

Marecki advised caution with the obvious offenders, using diet soda or soda water over juice as mixers, relying on flavored coffee instead of flavored creamers and sipping a bottle of water between each guilty pleasure.

“People often get fooled by how much they’re drinking,” she said, “and that really adds to the calories.”

Perhaps the simplest morsel of advice is ignoring the words of wisdom handed down by grandmothers everywhere.

“Don’t feel like you have to finish everything on your plate,” said Howard.

If a dose of reality is the best deterrent, Marecki has it.

“It often takes people another two months or more to lose that weight,” she said of the holiday heft. “There are very few people who would want to start 2010 10 pounds heavier.”