First up, let's talk turkey. No, let's
not. During this time of year, chances are that you have already been
admonished to forgo the skin and to chose white over dark meat in order
to keep calories and fat in check. I believe that, all too often, nutrition
messages simply become a blur of too many "do nots." Instead,
on Thanksgiving, a single day out of the 365 days a year, you may opt
to "have it your way." Save the turkey until Christmas.
Of note, is that it is of small fat consequence
whether the skin is removed prior to cooking or just prior to eating.
On to pumpkin...Many people defer
to the patch seeking a freshly harvested pumpkin. While the friendly-carved
faces are ideal for decoration, I recommend canned for ease of preparation
and handling, as well as for a nutrient score. In terms of both dietary
fiber and beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), canned pumpkin's nutrition
profile far surpasses that of fresh. And, if you wish to bake this year's
pumpkin dessert in a manner that is as easy on the cook as on the heart,
skip the crust. Or opt for pumpkin pudding over the more traditional pie.
Lastly, one of the most common calorie
questions that I hear throughout the holiday season concerns how red wine
stacks up versus white. The answer? They contain roughly equal number
of calories, about 72 calories per 3 1/2 fluid ounces. Remember, though,
that wine goblets vary and may hold upwards of 8 ounces.
Cheers, and happy, healthy holidays
to all.
Editor's Note: We have a large Internet
family. We love our members' faces shining on our pages, your generosity
in sharing your best moments in the kitchen, both in story form and recipe
form. We are grateful to have so many wonderful people in our lives. We
are grateful for the contributions that come from around the world and
look forward to developing increasing number of global recipes and sharing
these discoveries with our members.
We wish you
all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.
Get cooking! The turkey waits...
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