DALLAS, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Holiday meals can take a toll on the waistline, but a U.S. expert advises some key food substitutions can cut calories.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, suggests placing a super-sized salad bowl filled with fresh leafy greens and colorful vegetables at the front of the serving line.
"This will encourage you and your guests to start the meal with a healthful, high fiber, low-calorie appetizer," Sandon, says in a statement.
Other ways Sandon says to cut holiday calories are to:
-- Use broth to saute instead of butter, saving 104 calories per tablespoon of butter.
-- Substitute one-third cup of mayonnaise and one-thirds cup of nonfat yogurt for two-thirds cup of mayonnaise saving 480 calories.
-- Use nonfat milk instead of whole milk, saving 60 calories per cup.
-- Use plain nonfat yogurt instead of cream, saving 720 calories per cup.
-- Eat skinless chicken, saving 360 calories per whole bird.
