Healthy ways to tackle Thanksgiving dinner (and not feel guilty after)
Healthy Thanksgiving eating tips for people who are watching their weight, trying to eat healthy, or just hope to avoid a food coma after dinner.
Stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls... Thanksgiving dinner offers a cornucopia of carbs to tempt weight watchers and healthy eaters.
Want to fill up without adding pounds? Leave the carbs for last, said Jamie O’Boyle, lead dietitian at Main Line HealthCare. Eat vegetables first, then protein (presumably turkey), before digging in to carb-heavy dishes.
“If you’re starting with nonstartchy veggies first you’re filling up on fiber and water content,” said O’Boyle.
People can stay healthy at Thanksgiving without limiting themselves to tiny portions or saying no to heavy holiday favorites, O’Boyle said.
Here are her other recommendations for tackling Turkey Day:
Don’t starve yourself before Thanksgiving dinner
Stick to your usual eating habits before Thanksgiving dinner.
Some people may skip breakfast and lunch to leave room for the big meal, but that’s not a wise approach. Your blood sugar will plummet, making you more likely to overeat when you finally see food.
“You are likely going to walk into that meal and everything is going to look like a good decision,” O’Boyle said.
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Don’t eat just to eat
Make sure you’re eating because you’re hungry and not because there’s food in front of you. If you’re not particularly hungry, drink water or take a quick walk.
Beware of carbs
Going after vegetables and turkey before the carb-heavy options will not only help you keep from adding pounds, it’s likely to also keep you more alert throughout the rest of the holiday. That food coma feeling after a big meal comes from carbs, not the turkey, O’Boyle said.
Be active
A 10 to 20 minute walk after dinner can help with digestion and stabilize your blood sugar levels. It’s also an opportunity to create family time that isn’t spent sitting. Any activity, though, is good, whether it’s a family football game or sticking to a usual exercise regimen earlier in the day.
“Getting in any kind of movement before hand or even after is still going to make you feel great,” O’Boyle said.
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Don’t stress
It’s just one meal. If you eat hearty or break any of these rules, it’s not a big deal, O’Boyle said.
“One day is not going to make or break someone’s progress,” she said. “We can get back on track the next day.”