The key to eating healthy during Thanksgiving is self-control. Don't starve yourself the whole day and then overdo it at dinner. Eat breakfast when you get up and a light, early lunch. Once you're sitting at the Thanksgiving table, eat slowly. Concentrate on what you're chewing and drink lots of water in between bites. If you're tempted to go for seconds, wait a few minutes to see how full you feel. You might find you really don't want to keep going.
Main Choices
When it's time for the turkey, remove the skin. Not only does it contain natural fat, but it's often also coated with butter and oils during the cooking. Dark meat is slightly higher in calories but lower in fat, so it's a healthier choice overall. Go easy on the cranberry sauce -- it's 200 calories for one-third of a cup. If there's eggnog available, you should either avoid it, or just have a taste. At over 400 calories per cup, it's not always worth the calorie investment.
Offering Healthy Choices
If you're the one cooking the Thanksgiving dinner, you can try modifying the recipes to reduce their calorie and fat contents. Make mashed potatoes with skim or low-fat milk instead of whole, and cut the amount of butter you add in half -- if you add these ingredients at all. Use low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream to top baked potatoes. If you're making a green bean casserole, don't use creamy soups as a base, but instead opt for a water-based broth. Skip the high-calorie pecan pie and opt for a pumpkin pie instead. A slice of pumpkin with topping will set you back 450 calories, while a slice of pecan pie plain is 650 calories.
Side Dishes
If there are baked sweet potatoes, steamed beans and other vegetables, munch on those while waiting for the turkey to arrive or simply have them as side dishes. If you choose the mashed potatoes, which are about 350 calories per cup, go easy on the gravy. Squash and carrots are also good side choices. Skip the buttered rolls; at about 150 calories each, the total adds up quickly.
What To Avoid
Mentally discard everything you shouldn't be eating. Avoid appetizers, snacks and finger foods. These are usually high in fat and calories and won't fill you up. Instead, save up the calories for the main dishes. Go easy on the stuffing too. A cup of homemade stuffing contains about 400 calories. Either have a smaller portion of stuffing or avoid it all together. Another food to rethink is candied sweet potatoes at about 400 calories per cup.
References
- "My Healthy News Daily"; Have a Healthy Thanksgiving: 5 Tips to Avoid Overindulging; Amanda Chan; November 2010
- Eating Well: Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes, Menus and Cooking Tips
- Women's Fitness: Tips to survive a Healthy Thanksgiving Feast
- Healthcastle; Healthy Holiday Eating Tips for Thanksgiving; Gloria Tsang, RD; November 2005
- Eating Well: Pumpkin Pie and More Holiday Classics Made Healthy
- Diet Bites: Calories in Turkey Dinner
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