Civista Medical Center | Hospital in Southern Maryland | La Plata, MD

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HEALTHY HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES FROM CIVISTA HEALTH

The holidays are a time to spread good cheer, and what better way than through delicious food? Still, indulging in holiday treats doesn’t mean you have to throw your healthy diet out the window. This month, Civista Health demonstrates how to make your favorite holiday cookies with less fat, cholesterol and sodium at www.civista.org. Pastry chef Rich Marsh shows how to make a festive, fat-free Meringue Cookie in a three-minute cooking video.

Try our healthier versions of holiday favorites, including:

Almond Snow Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Gingerbread Cookies
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthier Sweets
Although we wish we could say that you can eat all the cookies, cakes and pies you desire en route to a healthier you, the truth is that many holiday baked goods contain sugar and fat. Civista encourages members of our community to bake with healthier substitutes for sugar and butter without sacrificing flavor. Our recipes suggest using transfat-free and reduced-calorie margarine instead of butter to lower cholesterol. When possible, we use sugar substitutes to reduce calories. All of our cookie recipes are tested by professional chefs to ensure they are easy to make and easier to eat.

Help for Specialty Diets
People with heart conditions and/or diabetes have a lot to worry about when eating holiday foods. Fats, sugars and excess carbohydrates are tempting, but could lead to an emergency room visit. Four out of our five holiday Christmas recipes have been termed “diabetes-friendly” by registered dietitians. Chocolate is hard to avoid during the holiday season, yet many people believe they should steer clear of it in order to maintain a clean bill of health. Not necessarily so … dark chocolate contains heart-healthy antioxidants and less cholesterol and fat content than milk chocolate. Our cookies call for dark chocolate whenever possible and small amounts of milk chocolate when necessary. Dig in!

Watch the Health eCooking Show and find hundreds of other recipes at: Health eCooking recipes.

Healthcare publisher Baldwin Publishing (www.BaldwinPublishing.com) produces The Health eCooking® Show for Civista Health. Go to www.civista.org to watch the Health eCooking Show.