6 Easy Ways to Lower Calories on Your Holiday Dessert Table
1. Lighten your desserts by using these substitutions
Use Splenda brand sweetener in place of all or part of the sugar.
- Splenda is a non-nutritive sweetener that measures just like sugar
- Find Splenda in your grocery store
- Splenda works great on pie fillings, puddings, cranberries, etc.
- Splenda is not recommended for crisp cookies or cakes where sugar is needed for structure
- Save 652 calories per cup compared to sugar
- Follow tips on the box or at www.splenda.com
Use egg whites or nonfat egg substitute in place of whole eggs.
- Use 1/4 cup of egg whites or nonfat egg substitute for every whole egg
- Save 41 calories and 5 grams of fat per egg.
Use Grape Nuts cereal in place of half the nuts
- Save 320 calories and 71 g of fat per cup
Reduce amount of chocolate chips and nuts by 25%
Use fat-free whipped cream in place of regular whipped cream
- Save 30 calories and 4.5 g of fat per 2 T serving
Substitute skim milk in place of regular milk
- Save 64 calories and 8 g of fat per cup
Use evaporated skim milk in place of evaporated milk
- Save 140 calories and 18.5 g of fat per cup
Use trans-free stick margarine in place of butter
- Save 89 calories, 12 g fat and 93 g of saturated fat per cup
2. Cut everything in smaller portions.
Cutting pies into 12 pieces versus 8 saves 25% calories, cutting into 12 versus 8 saves 33% calories.
Cakes and brownies should be cut in bite-sized pieces.
3. Make cookies smaller.
Make your cookies smaller
Make fewer varieties--consider joining a cookie baking exchange so you can have a variety without having to bake multiple batches
Cutting fat doesn't really save calories because it is replaced with sugar and flour
4. Make fewer high calorie items such as cakes and pies.
You will be less inclined to eat too many desserts if your choice is limited to a few special treats.
If you really like to bake, consider making non-edible crafts as part of your holiday creations instead of so many baked goods.
5. Offer your guests a variety of hot beverages with dessert:
Hot herbal teas
Flavored coffees
Use lower-calorie condiments such as fat-free half and half, fat-free whipped cream, colored sugars, non-nutritive sweeteners
6. Offer your guests a variety of fresh fruit with dessert.
Use grapes, oranges, pears and a variety of colors from fruits in season.
Place whole items in bowls and put sliced fruits on holiday platters.
