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Turkey Day Advice: Cut The Fat, Not The Flavor!

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Although Thanksgiving is a holiday that typically involves abundance, most of us don’t want or need more “abundance” on our waistlines. On Thanksgiving Day, the average American eats between 2,000 and 4,500 calories, which is a significant jump from the 1,600 to 2,400 calories that are consumed on a typical day.

Calorie laden feasts of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie can sabotage your good intentions to watch the calories. But with a little adjustment to the ingredients, your Thanksgiving feast can include traditional foods that have all the delicious taste, but far fewer calories.

For a lower fat turkey, make sure you select one that isn’t self-basting so you can avoid the extra fat. Many store-bought turkeys contain antibiotics. Organic varieties are raised humanely and without the additives, are available in health food stores. Stuff the turkey cavity with whole or halved onions, halved lemons or apples and sprigs of fresh herbs such as sage, marjoram, thyme and rosemary. Instead of rubbing the skin with butter or oil, spray it with an oil spray and season it with salt and pepper. If you are hosting a small gathering, consider buying a turkey breast instead of the whole bird, as breast meat is lower in calories than dark meat.

Most people include gravy in their Thanksgiving menus and it is one of the biggest calorie culprits on the table. Try using vegetable oil instead of turkey drippings when making the gravy. Better yet, make a low-fat broth-based gravy or vegetarian gravy.

Here are some other tips to help you avoid the nutritional hazards of Turkey Day:

• Don’t skip breakfast and lunch to “save space” for the big meal. If you eat healthfully throughout the day, the food will be digested by time for dinner. Also, if you are hungry when you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner you will be more prone to eat fast which usually causes you to eat more.
• Wait a few minutes on that second helping. The first plate you just consumed is still making its way into your stomach. It may seem like you have more room in your stomach but you actually don’t. Enjoy the conversation for a bit. You may find that in 10 minutes you really don’t want the second helping after all.
• Start with the veggies. When you serve your plate, pile on the veggies first. Make the majority of your plate healthful and minimize the amounts of candied yams, stuffing and gravy that you serve yourself.
• Skip the bread. You don’t need rolls or cornbread. Thanksgiving meals are loaded with complex carbohydrates.

Start a family tradition of taking a walk together after the Thanksgiving meal. This will help digestion and will get your metabolism in gear so you can burn some of the calories you consumed. It also provides quality time to visit with relatives and build happy memories that don’t revolve around food. And healthy traditions are something to be thankful for!