Nutrition database II

　　If you're going to a party or dinner, eat small, lo w-calorie meals during the day, and eat a healthy snack before the event. Don't go straight to the buffet when you arrive. First say hello, get something to drink and settle in. Visit the food table only once and select on ly what you really want to eat. Eat small portions. Som etimes just a bite is enough to satisfy a craving. If y ou want dessert, eat less of other sources of fat at di nner. For example, eat a smaller, leaner portion of mea t or, better yet, choose chicken or turkey. When entert aining, serve fruit or cut-up vegetables so you and gue sts can nibble without feeling deprived. When baking, u se soft margarine(人造黄油) or unsaturated oils like canola oil instead of butter. Bake cookies in smaller, bite-si zed shapes. Get more exercise. Take the stairs, make an extra trip to the mail box, take your guests for a walk instead of sitting around the table. It's the little th ings. You don't want to spoil the enjoyment of events, and you don't want to avoid foods you enjoy.

　　One way to take control of your holiday eating is b y baking your own, reduced-fat holiday desserts. You ca n adjust many recipes by using margarine instead of but ter, of egg whites or egg substitute for whole eggs. Ho wever, substitutions don't always work and can alter th e volume or texture of a favorite recipe.

　　"I tried making potato pancakes on a fat-free pan. It was a different kind of food," says Lichtenstein. Yo u can still fry latkes (马铃薯饼) on Hanukkah(光明节) ;just us e polyunsaturated(多不饱和物) oil.

　　The American Heart Association has prepared heart-h ealthy, low-fat versions of some favorite holiday desse rt recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa(美国黑人在新年前七天的 宽扎文化节，指水果初收季节) or New Year's Eve. From gingerbread(姜饼) cookies to banana pudding, these delicious desserts wil l make your holidays merrier and help you keep that res olution this holiday season.

　　By Marlene A. Prost