How to Avoid Autumn's Fattening Foods

As the autumn evening light wanes and the temperature drops, one of the joys of the season is the food. Temptation begins with leftover Halloween candy and continues well into the New Year. The secret to enjoying the food without putting on the pounds involves simple preparation, without all the additional sugar and extra fat.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Don't keep the tempting food in sight. Get rid of the leftover Halloween candy as soon as possible. If you can't part with it, at least keep it hidden. The calories in those bite size pieces, enticing as they may be, add up quickly.
2. Beware of seasonal beverages. Drinks such as hot chocolate, eggnog, pumpkin spiced apple cider, alcohol and your favorite Starbucks Caramel Macchiato add calories and generally won't affect how much you eat. Think light-light beer, wine spritzers, flavored tea and coffee and remember to add drink calories to your daily total.
3. Be careful about what you order in restaurants. The season invites us to eat lots of fattening comfort foods and restaurants are busy, joining in the holiday spirit. Creamy soups, meats such as pot roast and duck and stews, along with buttery mashed or sweet potatoes are all calorie laden dishes. Ask your server if a lighter version is available or opt for plain, broiled meat and vegetable or broth based soups and stews.
4. Choose a low fat version of a stuffing recipe. Stuffing often contains high fat ingredients such as butter, sausage and gravy. Delicious stuffing can be made from fruit, vegetables and stock. You might choose to skip the stuffing entirely and save the calories for dessert.
5. Find a low fat version of a stuffing recipe. Stuffing often contains high fat ingredients such as butter, sausage and gravy. Delicious stuffing can be made from fruit, vegetables and stock. You might choose to skip the stuffing entirely and save the calories for dessert.
6. Check your portion size and eat mindfully, paying attention to your food and enjoying the people you share it with. The minute you add tons of sugar and cream to a pumpkin dish, you negate the benefits of this delicious vitamin A rich vegetable. Choose a low fat pumpkin custard over the slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.

Tips & Warnings

• Exercise! Don't use the busyness of the season as an excuse not to exercise. Try to maintain your usual routine. Seasonal activities such as skating and holiday races are fun ways to keep moving.
• Don't deny yourself the treats of the season. You can combat the potential weight gain of the season by arming yourself with nutritional information. Calories do count.