Newswise — "Make this season of eating your friend, not your foe," says The Association for Dressings & Sauces (ADS). The Atlanta-based trade association of salad dressing and sauce manufacturers and suppliers encourages healthy eating this Holiday season and all year long.
As we approach the busiest and most plentiful season of the year, discover the many ways to maintain good nutritional habits. WebMD offers these 10 Holiday eating tips:
1. Avoid trying to diet during the Holiday Season.2. Pace, don't race.3. Alcohol is packed with calories; light beers and wine are lower calorie than typical mixed drinks.4. Bring a low-calorie dish to the Holiday party; that way there's always something "safe" .5. Make an effort to maintain your exercise program.6. Don't go to a party on an empty stomach.7. Watch portion sizes.8. Don't let a hectic Holiday schedule force you into frequent fast food meals.9. When you're the host, pack the table with flavorful vegetable dishes and salad dressings.10. Make conscious decisions about what you are going to eat.
Another key thing to remember during this tempting season is to stuff the turkey, not yourself. Consider removing the turkey skin to cut some of the fat and cholesterol. And, there is an endless variety of marinades and spices on your grocery store shelves you can use to flavor the star entree.
So, how do you turn all that leftover turkey into a healthy Holiday meal? That's simple. Make a salad!
Did you know salads offer numerous health benefits and are a must-have for anyone committed to eating healthy and maintaining a nutritionally-balanced diet? That's right. Veggies in a variety of salads (including post-holiday turkey salad) are an excellent source of fiber, which has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer. In addition, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Louisiana State University published a study in the September 2006 Journal of the American Dietetic Association that found that those who eat salads, raw vegetables and salad dressing have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6 and folic acid, all key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system.
Now top it off. Researchers from Iowa State University and Ohio State University published a study in the August 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that showed eating salad vegetables with some added fat, such as full-fat salad dressings, promotes the absorption of lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotenes, all of which aid in the fight against cancer and heart disease. Some salad dressings also contain alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that may protect against fatal heart attacks, and Vitamin E, which has been shown to be beneficial for the heart health of women. Here's an added bonus"¦ the vast majority of salad dressings are and have always been naturally free of trans fats. So make sure to eat a variety of salads this season topped with your favorite dressing!
Visit The Association for Dressings & Sauces on the web at www.dressings-sauces.org to learn more about the nutritional benefits of salads and salad dressings, and to obtain delicious recipes as well as a copy of the brochure, "The Good News About Salad Dressings and Sauces."
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