[Exerpted from Oprah.com]
Whether your weakness is deviled eggs or egg nog, there are more than enough temptations to go around during the holiday season. To help you negotiate the line between festive and fattening, the editors at Eat This, Not That have pinpointed the very worst of the season’s eatings and suggested some satisfying alternatives that should make your New Year’s resolution easier to attain.
Worst Classic Holiday Drink: Egg Nog
350 calories
19 g fat
22 g sugars
With or without added liquor, it’s no surprise egg nog is on the “naughty” list: the primary ingredients are milk, cream, and eggs. Hot chocolate is just as tasty with nearly one-third of the calories. But beware, cups of hot chocolate from national outlets like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee can be twice as treacherous as the homemade version. Blame excessive serving sizes and heavy dollops of full-fat milk and thick and caloric whipped cream. Stick with the homemade hot chocolate instead.
Drink this Instead: Hot Chocolate
120 calories
4 g fat
15 g sugars
Worst Holiday Appetizer: Crab Cakes
400 calories
19 g fat
This is what happens when poor, defenseless crab is bound in mayo, rolled in breadcrumbs, and dropped into a vat of bubbling fat: you end up with a single, calamitous cake that packs more calories than three dozen shrimp. (As bad as it may be, it has nothing on some of the appetizers being served at chain restaurants all year long.) Opt for the crustacean cocktail, but keep your dipping under wraps; most cocktail sauces are light in calories, but loaded with sodium.
Eat this Instead: Shrimp Cocktail (12 shrimp)
165 calories
1 g fat
Worst Holiday Party Cocktail: Gin and Tonic
210 calories
22 g sugars
You may be shocked to see the light-tasting G&T on this list, but the sad truth is that tonic water contains more than 20 grams of sugar per 8-oz serving, making it nothing more than a glorified 7 Up. Champagne is just as bubbly but contains only one-fourth of the sugar—plus, you can’t look classier than you do holding a champagne flute, right?
Drink this Instead: Champagne
100 calories
5 g sugars
Worst Holiday Party Snack: Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
285 calories
17 g fat (11 g saturated)
Looking at your Aunt Debbie’s recipe for spinach and artichoke dip, you might get confused. Aside from, well, spinach and artichokes, the ingredient list reads like a roll call of the worst offenders out there: mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese, not to mention whatever other cheeses Deb likes to throw in to make it hers. And that’s without the chips or hulking hunks of bread. Limit yourself to one chip’s worth and fill the rest of your snack plate with something healthier, like the classic Italian appetizer, prosciutto-wrapped melon balls.
East This Instead Melon Balls Wrapped in Prosciutto
100 calories
7 g fat (2 g saturated)
Worst Holiday Beer: Sam Adams Holiday Porter
211 calories
13 g carbohydrates
6% alcohol
Winter-themed beers tend to be heavier and higher in alcohol content, so it’s no surprise that Sam’s seasonal brew is loaded with extra calories. But there are too many quality low-calorie cervezas to ever mess with one that cracks the dubious 200-calorie threshold. Downgrade to Sam Adams Light and you’ll save 87 calories a pop – no small amount when you consider how much beer some people put down during the holiday season.
Drink This Instead: Sam Adams Light
124 calories
9 g carbohydrates
4.2% alcohol
Worst Holiday Side: Baked potato w/butter and sour cream
400 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)
The difference here is in the toppings—add bacon and cheese to the mix, and add an extra 150 calories. Another smart sides rule: Not all salads are paragons of virtue. Greens with croutons and Italian dressing pack in 140 more calories than a serving of peas with pearl onions.
Eat This Instead: Roasted red potatoes (1/2 cup)
100 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)
Worst Holiday Entrée: Prime Rib
750 calories
45 g fat
The only thing prime about the prime rib is the price you pay for eating it. This coveted holiday cut comes from one of the fattiest parts of the cow, which explains the thick rim of greasy stuff you must saw through to get to the meat. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee that any time you see the word “prime” on a menu, you’ll be ordering an extra 50 to 100 calories over the next dish, easily. Beef tenderloin is just as tasty with just a small fraction of the calories and fat.
Eat This Instead: Beef Tenderloin
165 calories
7 g fat (3 g saturated)
Worst Holiday Dessert: Pecan Pie a la Mode
810 calories
65 g fat
55 g sugars
In the wide world of holiday pies, nothing is worse than a slice of pecan. True, some of the fat is healthy fat from the nuts. Most of these calories, though, come from the filling, which is a sickly-sweet sludge of corn syrup and sugar. Fondue, in comparison, is a fun and relatively healthy way to splurge after a big meal. Angel food cake makes an ideal dipper: light, low in calories, and-because it’s made with egg whites-virtually fat-free. Use fruit instead and you’ll save even more calories.
Eat This Instead: Chocolate Fondue
340 calories
10 g fat
28 g sugars
