Roasted garlic butternut squash soup, marbleized root vegetable puree, and protein-rich quinoa stuffing with sautéed zucchini. These were a few of the special dishes enjoyed by attendees at the November 14th Monahan Center "What's Cooking" seminar, aimed at providing both tips and recipes for a healthy, gut-friendly holiday meal.

While attendees snacked on the various food samples available, the speakers presented nutritional information to optimize overall health as well as strategies to minimize gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during the holiday season.

"Important factors in maintaining a healthy nutritional status during the holiday are knowing your own digestive system and staying on track with what works for you," said speaker Lynn Goldstein, MS, RD, CDN, Nutritionist, The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health. As part of the program, Ms. Goldstein provided practical suggestions for a GI-friendly Thanksgiving day meal, including:

• Replace butter with unsaturated oils such as canola, olive, and safflower
• Use nonfat/reduced fat dairy
• Use lean cuts of meat, remove skin on poultry
• Bake/broil/steam instead of frying
• Leave out the egg yolks to cut fat and cholesterol
• Season with herbs, spices, and tangy vegetables instead of fat
• Limit sodium and salt intake
• Top desserts with fat-free frozen yogurt or whipped evaporated skim milk
• Substitute plain non-fat yogurt for sour cream
• Serve roasted vegetables, fruits, and reduced fat cheeses for appetizers
• Serve seasoned rice or grains instead of stuffing
• Bake sweet potatoes in their skins; season with roasted garlic and herbs instead of butter
• Choose puree and broth soups instead of cream-based soups
• Make a healthy dessert along with the cookies and cakes
• Cut down on sugar

Ms. Goldstein also provided recommendations for persons with diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and reflux–and encouraged attendees to enjoy the particularly nourishing Thanksgiving favorites: pumpkin, roast turkey, cranberries, potatoes, figs, and even some eggnog.

All recipes were provided–and the cooking methods demonstrated–by special guest speaker Julie Negrin, MS, CN, Director of Culinary Arts, Jewish Community Center, Manhattan. "Instead of eating the usual high-fat, high-calorie holiday meal, it is important to consider foods that are more nourishing, more healing," she stated. Ms. Negrin prepared a number of holiday dishes for the group, and advised that the food products used be organic and preservative-free whenever possible. Ms. Goldstein and Ms. Negrin emphasized that all recipes should be tailored according to individual GI needs and sensitivities.

"Starting with foods that are nutritious for the body and experimenting to see which foods are the easiest on your individual digestive system are the key ingredients to an enjoyable, festive holiday meal!" Ms. Negrin concluded.

For more information and holiday recipes, visit The Nutrition Center website at: www.monahancenter.org/nutrition