Posted on: Wednesday, December 6, 2006
TASTE
Party Vision
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
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Prawns with peppery garlic vinaigrette.
Photos by DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser
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Turkey wraps. Both are savory. Eaten in small bites, neither pupu will pack on more pounds.
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BETTER-FOR-YOU PARTY FOODS
Baked pita chips Ricotta-based dips Bean spreads Steamed edamame Hot popcorn with parmesan on it Spiced nuts Roasted vegetables Homemade tortilla chips Yogurt-based dips Poached salmon Tuna in vinaigrette Turkey wraps Fruit kebabs Grilled mushrooms Sashimi and poke Hummus
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Terri Okada has an unusual approach to avoiding weight gain during the holidays: She eats. And she cooks. Not all the time, of course, but in a deliberate, calorie-calculated way that allows her to side-step both deprivation and additional pounds.
"They always tell you to eat before you go to a party, but then if your willpower breaks down, you've eaten twice as much," said the 'Aina Haina woman, who lost 75 pounds a couple of years ago and has kept them off. "So I count party foods as a meal."
Okada was one of several people The Advertiser tapped for ideas on how to avoid the insidious Holiday 5 (pounds, that is). Here's what we learned:
Bank calories for the party. Okada tours the buffet table, makes her choices, takes smallish portions and sits down to a full plate. After that, she doesn't eat a thing. "But I'm full, so I'm happy," she said.
Cook so you won't eat. Okada said when she's the hostess, she doesn't eat, both because she's too busy and because she's essentially been eating with her eyes while cooking all day. "But also, I have control of the menu, so I can be sure to make things lower-fat or more nutritious."
Ban leftovers. If you do host the party, send all the leftovers away with guests. Otherwise, "If there's anything left, I'm with my head in the ice box in the middle of the night," Okada said.
Buy healthy snacks. Mark Reinfeld, chef of the 'Ilima Award-winning vegetarian restaurant Blossoming Lotus on Kaua'i, suggests that if you've not been in a health-food store lately, you'll be surprised at how many good-tasting alternatives there are to conventional high-fat, high-salt foods.
Never eat at the office (except your lunch). This is the year-round suggestion of Waikiki fitness consultant Jane Parker. "In Hawai'i, there's always a table at the office where you can get into trouble. The easiest way to handle it is to set a flat 'no-thanks' policy. You can save thousands of calories a year."
Eat lean in between. Author and TV "Cooking Thin" chef Kathleen Daelemans, formerly of the Grand Wailea Resort, plans for indulgence by eating high-fiber, low-fat foods — oatmeal, fruits, vegetables — between holiday events. "This is the best food of the year, I'm not going to not eat it, but I'm going to plan for it," she said.
The 3-Bite Rule. Daelemans admits that most of the healthy food at parties is "boring or gross," but she grazes the vegetable tray anyway. "I have to have three bites of the healthy stuff for every one bite of the stuff that's not healthy for my body but is healthy for my soul," she said.
Look up. Jacob Kahauhane of Kane'ohe, who underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 150 pounds, said one of the best tips he ever heard was to "keep your eyes up," making eye contact with other people at a stand-up cocktail party, not staring longingly down at the buffet table. "It sounds odd, but it was really a way of saying that parties are for socializing, not overeating."
Take food. "In the Islands, it's always OK to bring something, so make it something you can have, like high-protein steamed edamame or a very low-fat dip with vegetables instead of chips," Parker suggested.
Fill the water glass. Personal chef and caterer Olelo pa'a of Waimea drinks lots of water at parties, and so does Daelemans (one full glass between each cocktail), helping to fill the tummy and prompt the signal from brain that says, "You're full now. Stop eating."
Sweat the small stuff. "I try to avoid small nibbles; they're almost always high-calorie — that's why they're small. And they're hard to keep track of. Before you know it, you've eaten 8 ounces of something," said Parker.
Don't blow it on the bad food. "If you know the food at the school party is going to be gross and the food at your mom's is going to be outrageous, skip the school food," Daelemans said. Eat before you go and sip a diet drink.
Exercise, exercise, exercise. "If you can spare the cash, this is the time to hire a trainer, just for a couple of months. If you can't afford it, get an exercise buddy, someone who won't let you get away with skipping. What you're doing here is creating accountability and ramping it up. I literally exercise to eat," said Daelemans.
Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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