Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day to gather family members and friends for a meal or several if you’re attending multiple Thanksgiving-get-togethers.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, but sometimes the focus is more centered on celebratory eating and with that, over-indulgence.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and all the food that comes along with it! However, I feel that there’s a way to enjoy the holiday, while being mindful of our health. Here are some helpful tips for having a happy and healthy Thanksgiving:

Turkey Preparation
The turkey is the centerpiece of a traditional Thanksgiving meal of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. You don’t have to sacrifice flavor to have a healthy Thanksgiving and adjusting how you prepare your turkey is one way. Use low sodium seasoning and cook the turkey in the skin to lock in moisture, but remove it before you eat the meat to avoid additional calories and fat.

Healthy Substitutions
An easy way to make your Thanksgiving meal healthier is to adjust your recipes. For example, reduce the amount of butter that’s whipped into the mashed potatoes, and substitute low-fat milk or buttermilk for whole milk. Another way to cut calories is to replace sweet potato casserole with baked sweet potatoes topped with low fat margarine, cinnamon and a sugar substitute.

Table Setting
How you set your table can also contribute to healthy eating on Thanksgiving Day. Use smaller plates, not large platter-like dinner plates. We eat with our eyes and using a smaller plate generally helps you feel more satisfied with the amount of food you get. Also, be sure to keep the serving dishes away from the dinner table. You’re bound to eat less if the food is served in one spot and the dinner table is in another, rather than the food being spread across the dinner table in front of you.

Dessert
Who doesn’t look forward to a great piece of pie at the end of a Thanksgiving meal? If you’re going to treat yourself to a slice of pie, pumpkin is the best choice. While a slice of pumpkin pie is about 300 calories and 14 grams of fat, it’s lighter in calories and heavier in nutrients, such as vitamin A and fiber, than other desserts. A piece of apple pie is crammed with about 400 calories and 20 grams of fat, and pecan pie takes the cake at about 500 calories and 27 grams of fat per slice.

Beverages
Be sure to monitor the beverages you consume throughout the day on Thanksgiving. Drink water or artificially sweetened iced tea instead of sugary soda or other beverages loaded with calories. If you decide to sip some egg nog, realize that one cup contains 320 calories and 19 grams of fat (without any alcohol added). As a trade-off, you might down a cup of egg nog but skip the pie. Others might partake of the egg nog and pie but take a walk afterward.

Wine is also a popular beverage during the holidays. Be sure to drink moderately and be aware that wine will add extra calories to your holiday meal. A five ounce glass of red wine contains 125 of calories and a five ounce glass of white wine contains 120 of calories.

Portion Size
One of the easiest ways to have a healthier Thanksgiving is to pay attention to your portion sizes. Fill half of your plate with vegetables—salad with low-fat dressing or steamed veggies—before you load up on the higher-calorie foods. By the way, green bean casserole doesn’t quite qualify as a vegetable; it’s chock-full of fat.

Minimize grazing after your Thanksgiving meal. Store the leftovers right after the meal, so you limit the temptation to taste one more bite of mashed potatoes or one more spoonful of green bean casserole.

People should choose the foods that mean the most to them for the Thanksgiving holiday. You can have cheese and crackers anytime, but you may only have stuffing on Thanksgiving, so save your calories for the things that matter most!

If you over do it during the Thanksgiving Holiday, you may think about signing up for “Fit 4 Life” at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. “Fit 4 Life” is a 10-week course that provides programs that promote, teach skills for, and return individuals to healthy living through weight management, fitness and nutrition counseling. To find out more about the next “Fit 4 Life” course in early January 2011, call 341-6118.

Tarie Beldin is a registered and licensed dietitian at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center.