Lebanon, TN — Whether it's dessert or simply an indulgent snack, most people find cookies, cakes and other baked goods hard to resist – especially during the holiday season. What’s more, holiday meals are usually large, providing great temptations to overeat.

While most of us know that we should try to cut back the amount of fat in our diets, no one wants to give up the treats they love. University Medical Center Registered Dietitian Kyla Green offers the following tips to help control eating and still enjoy the holiday favorites.

Start at home.

Low-fat eating starts in your kitchen. Green suggests that as you're preparing holiday treats and meals for friends and family, there are some low-fat cooking tips you should keep in mind:

1. Substitute fruit purees or non-fat dairy products for butter, margarine or oil. Baked goods made with natural fat substitutes instead of fat have comparable flavor to their full-fat counterparts, with much less fat.
2. In recipes calling for eggs, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg.
3. In holiday cookies that call for chocolate chips or nuts, substitute Grape Nuts cereal, or cut the amount of chips and nuts by half.
4. Use skim milk instead of heavy cream or whole milk. Using evaporated skim milk can save up to 80 grams of fat and 600 calories for every cup used.
5. Substitute 3 tbs. cocoa powder plus 1 tbs. vegetable oil for 1 oz. baking chocolate.
6. Use fat-free chicken broth for gravies, sauces or salad dressings.

Don't stuff yourself.

The holidays often mean a never-ending array of parties and office get-togethers. Green offers some tips that can help keep your waistline in check:

1. Don't starve yourself to save calories for the big meal. Limiting what you eat before the meal can result in overeating.
2. Fill your plate with low-fat and low-calorie items. Then add small portions of any higher calorie foods.
3. Try to pace how fast you eat. Enjoy conversation during the meal to avoid eating too fast.
4. If you know you want dessert, go easy on the butter or margarine on your roll or gravy on the potatoes, or take a 1/2-size portion of the dessert.
5. When you're finished eating, get up from the table and socialize in another room. This will prevent picking at the food that's left.
6. Take a walk after the meal. This helps burn up some extra calories and keeps you away from the food.