8 Ways to Eat Healthy This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only a week away! It’s hard to keep our mouth from watering when we think of the buttered rolls, pumpkin pie, and juicy turkey with gravy.It’s also not unusual to be anticipating the feeling of guilt in the hours and even days after the big dinner culminates. You might think, “So much hard work trying to reduce portion sizes, and there I was having my third serving of turkey and mashed potatoes!”Overeating doesn’t have to be what defines Thanksgiving. Here, we present with you a variety of strategies you can put into practice to avoid overeating and to make sure you eat the healthiest and most-wholesome foods this Thanksgiving.Why Do We Overeat?There are multiple reasons that may to lead overeating at Thanksgiving. Culturally, see Thanksgiving as the one day a year we get a “free pass” to eat as much as we want, no judgement, no questions asked.Also, because it is arguably the most famous meal of the year in the US, there is a tremendous amount of anticipation that leads up to it.Then, of course, there also tends to be more than enough food to feed an entire battalion, no matter how few guests you have. The world might end if we run out of green-bean casserole, right?So, What Can We Do to Avoid Overeating?I’m going to give you plenty of tips to avoid overeating, and to help you eat healthy this Thanksgiving. Of course, these will vary depending on what your Thanksgiving predicament is: are you a guest or the host?If You Are a Guest…Eat your normal meals beforehand. None of that “saving space” stuff, and starving yourself by skipping breakfast and lunch. If you do this, you will undoubtedly be ravenously hungry once Thanksgiving dinner rolls around. Serve yourself small portions. Especially on this day, our eyes are bigger than our stomach. Remember that if you are truly still hungry, you can always go back for more. Load up on veggies first. Whether it is a salad or steamed veggies, you can pretty much eat as much as you want of this. If you put it on your plate before putting anything else on your plate, you can limit servings of the more caloric foods without your plate looking so empty. Don’t drink your calories. We have to be honest here. Egg nog is not light. Neither is that pumpkin spice latte. If the food is more important to you than the drink, opt for lower calories drinks like water, light cranberry juice, or low-calorie cider. Opt for light turkey. It is lower in fat. Don’t deprive yourself, but don’t overdo it. Depriving yourself of foods you know you can’t do without on this big day will just leave you feeling sad and frustrated. Enjoy the food you love most. But the key here is to… Take a walk after dinner. Even ten minutes of walking after dinner will help you digest and avoid that food coma.  Really enjoy your food. The people who prepare this food may have spent days preparing for this meal, and taking time to notice tastes, textures, and spices will leave you more satisfied. Also, if you make a comment to the chef, there is no doubt that you will get an extra strong hug at the end of the meal. Remember that it is about family and friends. Many people see Thanksgiving as the official beginning of the holidays. It is easy to get wrapped up in the indulgence and consumerism of the holidays, but remember that the most important element of the holidays is getting to spend more time with friends and family and experiencing things you wouldn’t normally get a chance to experience (“remember when Sparky ate half of the pumpkin pie?”)  A photo posted by Twisted Fork (@twistedforkraleigh) on Nov 18, 2016 at 8:19am PSTIf You Are a HostIf you are hosting Thanksgiving, more power to you! I know how difficult and even stressful it can be doing your best to make sure you get grandma’s casserole recipe just right. All the above tips apply if you are hosting, but there are some additional things you can do to make your meal extra healthy.You can make some quick switches that will take loads of sugar, fat and, thus, calories out of each dish without sacrificing taste. It does, however, require that you be a little adventurous, and maybe even start new traditions.Some awesome recipe switch outs include:Mashed sweet potato or squash instead of mashed potatoes Mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes (if you don’t think your guests will go for this one, you can substitute part of the potatoes for mashed cauliflower) Pumpkin pie instead of pecan pie. It is lower in calories and sugar. Green bean casserole with reduced-sodium, low-fat cream of mushroom soup Use turkey juice instead of gravy. You need less of it to add a splash of flavor, and it doesn’t have the added refined carbohydrates. Switch out the stuffing for quinoa. You can Google some awesome Thanksgiving quinoa recipes. Have some whole wheat bread or roll options. If you get some varieties packed with seeds, you’ll feel satisfied quicker, and you’ll avoid some unnecessary refined flours.Want to learn how to make healthy pumpkin recipes (yes- even a pumpkin spice latte)? Check out the link below!I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling hungry already!What are some of your favorite healthy Thanksgiving dishes? Comment below?