Yet these low calories are only a part of the story. Using Dr. Walford's Interactive Diet Planner, Michael and April calculated their nutritional intake for the evening. Michael's meal was rich in protein, low in unhealthy fats, and replete with vitamins and micronutrients. For instance, he ate 43 grams of protein, but only 1 gram of saturated fats. He also consumed 48 percent of his recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron, 229 percent of Vitamin C, and 691 percent of Lysine, to cite just 3 of the 39 different measures of nutrition that Michael and April monitor.

April ate the same-sized serving of salad, gravy, cranberry, and cheesecake as Michael. However, she omitted the hazelnut oil from her salad, saving 40 calories; she ate half the amount of turkey, saving 80 calories; and she skipped the Jack Daniels pumpkin, saving 95 calories. But she was boozier than Michael: she drank six ounces of wine instead of three, adding 64 calories. All in all, her CR Christmas dinner was 479 calories. Since her breakfast was 260 calories, and her lunch 351, her daily total was 1,090 calories, quite a bit lower than her usual 1,200. (She was therefore considerably more virtuous than Michael.)

One Technology Review editor, reviewing the menu, remarked, "I'd rather die young than eat that for Christmas." Nonetheless, both April and Michael insist their meal was neither small nor evil-tasting. Certainly, the pictures the couple sent us suggest that their holiday "feast" was sufficient -- and happily prepared and consumed.