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For many weight managers, the mere thought of Thanksgiving causes hearts to race and induces a cold sweat.  This traditional American feast practically requires that you gorge yourself on rich foods until a “turkey coma” finally lulls you off to sleep.  Fortunately, Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a dreaded holiday for the health conscious.  Here are some tips to eating healthy this Thanksgiving:

1)    Go easy on the gravy:  Turkey is a great lean meat, but can be a diet disaster as soon as you pick up that gravy boat and bury your turkey underneath the rich sauce.  If you can’t go without altogether, try lightening up your gravy.  Simply use a gravy strainer when making the gravy to separate the fat from the turkey drippings to cut down the calories.

2)    Lighten up with light meat:  Although it may be tempting to claim that coveted drumstick, try to stick with the light meat.  Dark meat is higher in fat and calories.

3)    Water not wine: Try to avoid those liquid calories by limiting yourself to no more than one glass of wine.  Drinking water will also help you fill up faster.

4)    Load up on the veggies:  Vegetable side dishes are a great way to fill up on healthier fare, but don’t be fooled by Grandma’s famous green bean casserole.  Just because there is a vegetable in the name of the dish doesn’t make it healthy.  Try to avoid vegetable dishes with rich creamy sauces or those covered in cheese.  Serve up a starter salad with a light dressing or serve up some seasoned roasted vegetables.  If this doesn’t appeal to you, just find a lighter version of your favorite recipes.  Check out this lighter version of Green Bean Casserole from eatingwell.com.

5)    Sweet is sometimes better: Instead of mashed russet potatoes, go for sweet mashed potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are lighter than classic russet potatoes and you won’t need the heavy cream and butter that is usually  added to give this side dish flavor because sweet potatoes, as their implies, are already  sweet.

6)    Seconds and thirds are not a requirement:  Although Thanksgiving is traditionally a feast, this doesn’t mean you have to go back for round two or three.  Fill your plate the first time with reasonable portions then eat slowly to give yourself time to realize you are getting full.  If you just can’t give up your favorite rich dish, just take a small amount.  I promise it will taste the same regardless of whether it’s your first or tenth bite.

7)    Enjoy dessert, the lighter way: It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without your classic dessert of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream or apple pie a la mode.  Just because you are having a healthy Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you have to ditch dessert.  Check out this great pumpkin pie recipe from Hungry Girl.  Also try to satisfy your sweet tooth without topping your dessert with whipped cream or ice cream.

Don’t make Thanksgiving an excuse to blow your diet.  With a little pre-planning and self-control, Thanksgiving can be all that it should be; a wonderful time to enjoy the company of family and friends.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.