If you’re watching your weight, Thanksgiving can present a real challenge. All that lovely rich holiday food and sweet things on a groaning buffet! But you can have your Thanksgiving meal and eat it too.
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving at your place, you need a plan of attack. Well before the holidays begin, think about the kinds of dishes you love at Thanksgiving and how you can make them healthier.
Healthy Thanksgiving Options
Try superfoods quinoa or kale as the base of a salad that’s both healthy and hearty. Steer your menu away from stodgy carbs (hard at this time of year, I know).
And if you must indulge in creamy mashed potatoes how about trying to make them healthier by using low fat milk or even yogurt?
Thanksgiving Hero
Turkey is the hero of the Thanksgiving meal and should be savored. Choose the white turkey meat for its lower fat content and skip the gravy, serve instead with a tart cranberry sauce.
It’s hard to not go back for seconds when the food is so wonderful and the atmosphere so festive, but sit back and consider if you really do feel like more food or if you are eating for the sake of being social? Don’t overstuff yourself. Save some left overs so you can continue enjoying the holiday flavors the following day.
Leftovers from Thanksgiving
Use left over turkey meat to add to a clear low fat broth, throw in some chopped vegetables and you have a wonderful healthy soup to see you through the next few days.
If you have a sweet tooth you need to be particularly careful this time of year. Try making your favourite Thanksgiving sweet using more wholesome ingredients – low fat, whole grains, reduce the sugar.
Remember: a small treat now and then will not set you back on your weight loss goals, however, overeating and induldging in too many sweet treats too often is a recipe for disaster.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
