Tips for holiday weight loss

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Hone your technique
* Use nonstick cooking spray instead of butter or oil. If you must use oil choose a liquid like olive or canola oil over butter.
* Add flavor with herbs and spices instead of oil and butter. Use salsas as toppings instead of sour cream or butter.
* Broil rather than pan-fry meats such as hamburger, pork chops and steak. Using a rack lets the fat drip off and away from the meat.
* Use cooking methods that require little or no fat: boil, broil, bake, roast, poach, steam or sauté.
* Use one egg and two egg whites instead of two eggs in your favorite egg dishes or cakes.
* Start cooking a day ahead. Stews, boiled meat, soup stock or other dishes in which fat dissolves into the liquid can be refrigerated and then the congealed fat can be skimmed from the top.

Make better choices

* Choose lean meats and skinless chicken or fish instead of marbled beef.
* Replace bacon with leaner breakfast meats such as Canadian bacon or turkey sausage.
* Use lower fat versions of dairy products such as sour cream, cheese, yogurt and milk.
* Minimize meat consumption (and therefore lower calories) by serving dishes featuring pasta, rice, beans and/or vegetables.
* Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.
* Switch to diet drinks or water instead of juices and soft drinks.
* Use smaller plates so you aren’t tempted to serve a large portion of food and your plate looks fuller.

Compiled by Farmers’ Almanac TV staff

Tags: cooking, weight loss, lean, diet