Strategy for a Healthier Thanksgiving Dinner
November 21, 2011, By Avery Hurt 0 comments
I adore Thanksgiving. It is hands-down my favorite holiday. It celebrates some of my favorite things—food, family and friends—and it kicks off the holiday season. Also my children (twins) were born the day before Thanksgiving, so their birthday always falls somewhere around the big day, making it even more festive in our family.
However, the fact that this holiday, more than any other, centers on food can make it difficult for people who are watching their weight or simply trying to eat healthfully. Let's face it, many traditional Thanksgiving day foods aren't the healthiest. Of course, this is a feast—an annual one at that. The purpose is to celebrate and indulge. But if you've spent all year trying to stay in charge of your health, the prospect of Thanksgiving dinner might be a little frightening. No need to worry, though. A little bit of strategy can get you through T-Day with your waistline and cholesterol intact.
If you are cooking the meal, you'll have more control, but even so, your guests aren't going to be happy if traditional family favorites are absent or changed too much. For some, leaving the chestnuts out of the stuffing or foregoing the mashed potatoes is something close to heresy. However, cutting back on the cream in the mash up, adding more vegetables to the stuffing, and focusing on sides that highlight the vegetables rather than the sauce, will not only keep the fat and calories at a more acceptable level without depriving anyone of a family favorite, it might win you the award for the Thanksgiving dinner that didn't leave everyone feeling overstuffed and sluggish.
If you aren't doing the cooking—and most of us aren't, since people typically gather in large groups for this one—you'll have no control over the menu, so you'll have to use a little dining strategy instead. This is actually easier than you might think.
- Eat breakfast. And if Thanksgiving dinner is planned for the evening meal, eat a light lunch as well. It is tempting to skip breakfast when you know a huge feast is coming up later in the day, but if you are starving by the time the bird is carved, you'll be much more likely to overeat, and more likely to go at it with such fervor that you won't even notice how good everything tastes.
- Take small portions. Sample a little of a lot of dishes, including plenty of vegetable sides. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving dinner has a reputation for being a heavy, fat-laden, diet killer, it is typically loaded with good-for-you vegetables. You're not likely to miss your five-a-day. Try to choose ones that have more vegetable than cream. In other words, a small scoop of mashed potatoes and a bigger serving of sautéed greens.
- Drink plenty of water. This will help with digestion as well as help you feel full before you've eaten too much. Also, try not to drink too much alcohol. This will save you lots of calories that you can spend later on the pecan pie.
- Save room for later. If the meal is being served at your house—or you are staying overnight with the hosting relative, eat somewhat lighter than is tradition at lunch and plan to have another go at the leftovers later in the day or the next day. This little trick will keep you from feeling like you have to stuff yourself senseless because everything looks so good and you probably won't get another chance at Aunt Betty's broccoli casserole until next year.
- Exercise. After the feast, go for a nice, long walk to avoid the food coma. Or talk your friends and relatives into a game of Frisbee or touch football.
- Work it off. Start a new tradition for the Friday after. Rather than standing in line at the mall, go for a bike ride or a hike. Call it Green Friday. Pack a nice lean turkey sandwich and work off all those extra calories in one day.
And most of all remember: This is a once-a-year feast that celebrates family, friends, and our good fortune to have plenty to eat. It really isn't a time to obsess over nutrients. If you routinely take good care of your body, a blow-out Thanksgiving dinner shouldn't be a problem, even if you do go back for thirds of the mashed potatoes and gravy. I know I plan to.
