Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

Do the terms healthy and holiday even go together? Is it really possible to avoid the typical 5-pound weight gain between now and January? Trust me, it's possible with careful choices. The dietitians at Mayo Clinic offer some advice for making favorite recipes healthier. In addition, Cooking Light offers some advice for portion control.

— Cut sugar, add flavor. When making pumpkin pie or eggnog, reduce the amount of sugar by half and enhance "sweetness" by adding a bit more vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon. If recipes call for sugary toppings like frosting, jams and syrup, use fresh fruit instead.

— Shake the salt out. You can reduce salt by half in most recipes, too. Also, go easy on salty condiments, such as pickles, ketchup, mustard and soy sauce. Instead, offer cucumber slices and fresh tomato or fruit salsas. Or try lower-sodium versions of mustard and soy sauce. It is better to skip the cheese platter — yikes all that salt and fat. Instead, opt for fresh fruits and veggies. And instead of serving cured ham, try a fresh pork loin roast with herbs.

— Trim the fat. In baked goods, you can cut the fat by about half and replace it with unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana. Instead of full-fat condensed milk, use condensed skim in pumpkin pie and eggnog. For gravy, heat fat-free, low-sodium broth (or drippings with the fat removed); mix flour into cold skim milk and pour slowly into broth. Stir until thickened and season to your liking.

For portion control, before eating, divide the plate in half and fill one-half with fruits or vegetables, leaving the other half for protein and starch. In addition, pre-portion tempting treats. The bigger the package, the more food you're likely to eat. Another tip is to downsize your dishes. The bigger the dish, the more likely we are to eat more. — Mayo Clinic and Cooking Light

Q and A

Q: I hear so much about antioxidants in dark chocolate providing health benefits. Does milk chocolate really offer nothing?

A: In equal size portions with equal calories, dark chocolate provides nearly three times the total antioxidant power that you get from milk chocolate, according to USDA data. Studies show that the higher the nonfat cocoa solids, the higher the antioxidant compounds chocolate contains. But milk chocolate's antioxidants are also significant. In fact, the ORAC score (a measure of antioxidant power) of milk chocolate is higher than that of red grapes, blueberries, nuts or almonds if you compare equal weights of all foods. But that's not a fair comparison, since you'd get many times more calories getting those antioxidants from chocolate (whether milk or dark chocolate) than from fruit.

Furthermore, although nuts are concentrated in calories, they provide additional benefits beyond their antioxidants, such as fiber, protein and other nutrients. To maintain a healthy weight, most people should limit chocolate to small amounts daily, so it will only provide a fraction of a day's antioxidant total compared to antioxidants from vegetables, fruits, whole grain, beans, nuts and other selections such as tea or coffee.

Bottom line: You get more antioxidants from dark chocolate, but if milk chocolate is your preference, enjoy it and keep your focus on a balanced diet for the health benefits.

RECIPE

One of the secrets of losing weight is to use fruit for a dessert. This recipe for a Cranberry Orange Tart, from Cooking Light magazine, won't break the calorie bank.

Cranberry Orange Tart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup ice water

Cooking spray

FILLING:

1/3 cup orange juice

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball).

Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Slightly overlap 2 lengths of plastic wrap on slightly damp surface. Unwrap and place chilled dough on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional lengths of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 14-inch circle. Place dough in freezer for 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed. Remove plastic wrap; fit dough into a 10-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under or flute decoratively.

To prepare filling, combine juice and cornstarch in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (do not remove tart from oven); bake an additional 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 10 servings.

Per serving: 274 calories, 2.5 g protein, 49.4 g carbohydrate, 8.2 g fat, 19 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g fiber, 105 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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