Thanksgiving Top 10-ish Eat Right Tips
It's almost Thanksgiving, so to ease your diet stress, here are the top 10 tips from the top nutrition experts - registered dietitians - to help you have a happy, but healthy holiday!
In this gallery
Allison Stevens, MS, RD, of Healthy Living Healthy Flavors in Austin, TX tells folks to avoid rushing a second helping of food. She says, "pause for 10-15 minutes and have a glass of water. Chances are you're not really hungry anymore." "Savor your meals this holiday season, for your palate as well as your waistline," says Tricia O'Keefe Girbal, RD, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant in Silicon Valley, CA "Not only does slow eating allow for a greater sense of satisfaction, but a new study finds that slow eating impacts appetite control and may decrease your chances of overeating. What's important is to listen to cues coming from your body and eat until you are almost full, not entirely full." 
Toby Smithson, RD, LDN, CDE, National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and Community Dietitian for the Lake County Health Department in Waukegan, IL adds, "remember it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full. Slow down and enjoy every bite."
Rana Parker, MPH, RD, LAPD Registered Dietitians gives this advice: "Focus on eating well for immune boosting properties since people have been sick and are worried about getting sick" She adds that it's best to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and spices for phytonutrients and antioxidants. 
Take a walk after your meal, enjoy some time outdoors and stick to your exercise routine. "Some of the best time spent with the family could be the time you enjoy a walk around the neighborhood," suggests Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD, Albuqerque, NM. 
Make stuffing without butter or oil, says Jude Trautlein, RD, "use extra celery & onion and chicken or vegetable stock instead of water then add extra sage and pepper."
Use low fat items for healthy holiday appetizers: blend fat free cottage cheese, fresh herbs until smooth and creamy for a vegetable or cracker dip recommends Theresa Logan, MS, RD, CSSD of T. Logan Dietetics, Inc. "Substitute nonfat plain yogurt for some/all of the sour cream, mayo and salad dressing in recipes - it adds great flavor and calcium, I make a mean chicken salad held together by yogurt instead of mayo," says Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN Nutrition communications consultant. "Dip veggies in yogurt with garlic and dill and fruit in lowfat vanilla yogurt. I top soups with plain yogurt instead of sour cream - tangy on veggie/bean recipes 
Janice Pfau,RD,CDN,CDE, Outpatient Dietitian at GlensFalls Hospital, Glens Falls, NY uses evaporated skim milk in her mashed potatoes, along with a soft spread instead of butter. 
Serve white wine spritzers instead of just white wine, cutting back on crucial calories says Mary Barbour, MA, RD. Stick to non-calorie and sugar-free beverages says Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD, Albuquerque, NM. 
Sandy Sfikas, RD, LDN, Editor, Diabetic Cooking says that for some stuff, it's best to just say no. "Skip the creamy dips, casseroles, and gravy. Not only will the fat and calories from dips add up, but they will also FILL you up." Sfikas notes that casseroles often disguise the healthiest foods, such as sweet potatoes, green beans, and spinach. She suggest that you reach for plain vegetables and sweet potatoes and leave the casseroles alone. Gravy is made from the greasy drippings of the bird and offers extra calories with no nutritional value. 
Sfikas recommends that we choose bright foods like sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, squash, and broccoli. "Notice that the bland-colored foods are often those with little nutrients and lots of fat - stuffing, mashed potatoes, casserole, gravy." Or, as Sophia Kamveris, MS, RD, LD says, "include a cornucopia of color on your plate!"
Sfikas says not to feel obliged to go for seconds or to stuff yourself with dessert. "Thanksgiving is a holiday, not an eating contest. Just have fun and enjoy the food and family. If you eat until you are uncomfortable...you'll be uncomfortable!" Valarie Hannahs RD, LD of Columbus, OH advises to "take a little bit of each of your favorite holiday dishes ( 1-2 Tbsps) With all that food it will fill your plate and fill you, with out over doing it."
For your dinner plate, Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and Author of Nutrition At Your Fingertips says to follow the one plate rule. "Have only one plate of food and opt for 1/4 veggies, 1/2 foods rich in lean protein (like chicken or fish or sirloin/filet mignon/flank steak), 1/4 starch (like pasta, rice, or a starchy veggie like a potato/potatoes); leave room (no more than 1/4 plate) for dessert (fruit and/or a decadent treat like a small brownie, a few small cookies, or small piece of pie/cake or a fruit tart)." 
Janel Ovrut MS RD LDN, Corporate Wellness Consultant in Boston, MA says, "Only eat the treats!" She notes that the holidays are a fun time to enjoy holiday-specific foods, like pumpkin pie and stuffing, so avoid foods that you can have any time of year, like bread with butter, cheese and crackers, high calorie cocktails, and box-mix brownies or cookies. Pam Beamer, RD, CDE from Buffalo, NY, agrees, "skip the rolls and butter and enjoy the sweet potato pie!" Ovrut adds that "this is a great way to avoid unnecessary calories and leave room for those holiday treats you get to enjoy once or twice a year."
Along the same idea, budget your calories says sports nutrition author, Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, of Sports Nutrition Services. "Budget calories for special foods that you truly enjoy. That is, if you commonly eat potato with dinner, skip the potato at the holiday meal and save those calories." Or quite simply, Jennifer Neily, MS, RD, CSSD, LD exclaims, "if you don't love it, don't eat it!"
"One thing I focus on is eating a sizable amount of turkey (no skin) because it's so lean and low in calories," shares Julie Upton, MS, RD, CSSD, Co-Author of Energy to Burn (Wiley 2009). "I also enjoy liberal amounts of cranberry sauce on the turkey and choose to enjoy the sauce as my carbohydrate fix rather than digging into the bread basket for dinner rolls or cornbread."
Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA, Co-Author of Intuitive Eating emphasizes that, "the most important goal for the holidays is to stay attuned to your intuitive signals of hunger, fullness, and what really satisfies your palate." Resch says to remember that this is not the last, or only time that you can eat these foods. "You can have them again whenever you're hungry. In fact, if you honor your fullness at the Thanksgiving meal, you might even have room for a turkey sandwich and a little more pumpkin pie later in the evening!"
Savor the Moment
Allison Stevens, MS, RD, of Healthy Living Healthy Flavors in Austin, TX tells folks to avoid rushing a second helping of food. She says, "pause for 10-15 minutes and have a glass of water. Chances are you're not really hungry anymore." "Savor your meals this holiday season, for your palate as well as your waistline," says Tricia O'Keefe Girbal, RD, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant in Silicon Valley, CA "Not only does slow eating allow for a greater sense of satisfaction, but a new study finds that slow eating impacts appetite control and may decrease your chances of overeating. What's important is to listen to cues coming from your body and eat until you are almost full, not entirely full."
2 Comments
cubicle dad said:
Great tips!
EatRightAroundChicago said:
Thanks, Cubicledad! :)
I'll be sure to post some ideas for the December holidays as well!!!
Sincerely,
Jenna
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