By Celeste Naude
If you’re the one cooking up a storm this festive season, try these food and recipe substitutions to cut down on kilojoules and fat, but not taste. You’ll be doing yourself and your family a favour! Here’s how to tone down that Christmas feast…

Swap It Out

Roast It
Deep-fried pumpkin fritters that everyone loves might be delicious, but are they worth it? Instead of deep-fried pumpkin fritters, serve roasted sweet potato. Roasting is better than boiling for sweet potatoes because it brings out their natural sweetness!
Use less sugar than a recipe calls for (up to 25 percent less will still work in most cases) but for the illusion of sweetness you can add a touch of vanilla, allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg. Ditch high fat, if the recipe ingredient is sour cream, rather use low-fat yoghurt or low-fat sour cream.
Meaty Supreme
If you’re serving two meat dishes, make one a richer meat (like a roast) and the other a lighter meat, like fresh grilled fish.
Read More: 3 Signs Your Office Bestie Is Making You Fat
On The Side
Avoid vegetable bakes and casseroles with sauces and add-ons – rather opt for fresh green salads, steamed or boiled fruit and vegetables as side-dishes.
Avoid Gravy, Opt for Fruit
Avoid rich gravy, rather go for dishes or salads made with fruit to accompany and flavour your meat. Mayo?Rather use a mix of two tablespoons of low-fat plain yoghurt and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Christmas Pudding
Choose custard instead of cream with Christmas pudding – it has a significantly less fat and kilojoules. Ice cream? Rather use frozen yoghurt.
Scale In Down

Instead of one egg in a recipe, use two egg whites. For recipes calling for milk, go with skim/fat-free. Enjoy the festivities and all the yummy holiday treats that you prepare. Moderation is key – happy cooking!