Worst Thanksgiving Day Meal Offenders

It's no secret that Thanksgiving is among the least diet-friendly holidays on the calendar. Who can resist the savory aromas of casseroles and pies wafting from the kitchen, no matter how strong their dedication to fitness? Unfortunately, the foods of the season are often laden with butter, cream and sugar, all of which spell trouble if you're watching your waistline. But by avoiding the most fattening dishes on the table--or at least partaking in moderation--you can help spare yourself the post-feast guilt. Here are the worst offenders of Thanksgiving:

1. Sweet Potato Casserole

Those soft orange tubers laced with melting marshmallows have a healthy main ingredient--sweet potatoes are high in fiber and vitamin A, and very low in calories--but the butter, brown sugar and fluffy marshmallow topping make this indulgence one of the most fattening components of your dinner plate. Just one serving has about 460 calories, enough for a small meal. For a leaner version, go easy on the butter and sugar, and add just a few marshmallows. Or better yet, have a plain baked sweet potato!

2. Pecan Pie

Again, this dish starts with a relatively healthy base (pecans are nutritious, if naturally high in fat) and adds gobs of butter and sugar. Pair it with ice cream or whipped cream, and you're in even deeper diet trouble. If you can't resist the pie, lighten the calorie load by eating around the crust and avoiding toppings.

3. Stuffing

Stuffing packs a one-two punch of refined carbs from white bread and fat from butter. Some versions also include fatty sausage or other meats. To make a healthier stuffing, use vegetables such as onions and carrots instead of meat, ensure half of the breadcrumbs are whole wheat, and use just a pat of butter.

4. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Butter strikes again, and along with cream or milk, jacks up the fat content of an ordinary potato to artery-clogging levels. And who eats mashed potatoes without gravy? While the brown sauce may add juicy flavor to your spuds, it only adds more fat and calories. For a healthier side, use skim milk and just a touch of butter, and top your mashed potatoes with scallions and a small dollop of sour cream to enhance the taste.

5. Alcohol

OK, so it's not really a food. But calories from "adult beverages" can add up faster than you think. Each 4-ounce glass of red wine you put away with dinner has about 100 calories, and each regular beer has 140 calories. Sweet liqueurs like amaretto and Kahlua may wash down the meal nicely, but each shot of just 1.5 ounces has 165 calories. Mixed drinks are often the worst alcohol offenders of all--a 5-ounce serving of a margarita has a mind-blowing 550 calories. Where do they all fit in that tiny glass?

One last tip: drink plenty of water before and during your meal. The calorie-free beverage will fill you up so can't overindulge, and you won't even miss the extra calories.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #9)

Healthy Eating Tip #9: Limit Sugar And Salt

If you succeed in planning your diet around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the way of your healthy diet—sugar and salt.

Sugar

Sugar causes energy ups and downs and can add to health and weight problems. Unfortunately, reducing the amount of candy, cakes, and desserts we eat is only part of the solution. Often you may not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each day. Large amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are some tips:

• Avoid sugary drinks. One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the daily recommended limit! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
• Sweeten foods yourself. Buy unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored oatmeal, for example, and add sweetener (or fruit) yourself. You’re likely to add far less sweetener than the manufacturer would have.
• Eat naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet tooth. Keep these foods handy instead of candy or cookies.

How sugar is hidden on food labels

Check food labels carefully. Sugar is often disguised using terms such as:

cane sugar or maple syrup corn sweetener or corn syrup honey or molasses brown rice syrup

crystallized or evaporated cane juice fruit juice concentrates, such as apple or pear maltodextrin (or dextrin) Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, or Sucrose

Salt

Most of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.

• Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.

• Be careful when eating out. Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium.

• Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.

• Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, nuts, and pretzels.

• Choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products.

• Try slowly reducing the salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust.

A few tips to help you indulge without overindulging this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is very quickly approaching, bringing with it many wonderful opportunities for a little time with family and friends and even more time to completely derail your diet and nutrition goals.

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie....the list goes on and on! Wouldn't it be absolutely miserable to be at the table and watch your loved ones partake in this once-a-year feast while you sit there with a sad plate of green salad, topped with super-lite-low-calorie-air-flavored dressing and a nice cold bottle of diet water? Where is the happy medium? Is it possible to indulge in your favorite holiday treats without undoing weeks' worth of progress in a single meal (and probably the multiple left-over meals to follow)?

Of course it is! Here are a few tips to help you indulge without overindulging.

1. Use a Smaller Plate

At big meals, like Thanksgiving, it's very difficult to avoid the temptation to fill your plate to capacity with delectable goodies! Instead of trying to make your portions smaller, just make your plate smaller! Simply filling up a smaller plate instead of the average sized dinner plate can cut up to 500 calories out of your meal!

2. Drink Water

As you enjoy the your crisp green beans and succulent sweet potatoes, be conscious of what you're drinking. Limit yourself to one beverage of your choice, and then switch to water. Making sure that you stay hydrated throughout the day can help your brain to differentiate between actual hunger and dehydration. Often, many people confuse dehydration with hunger, and eat more without understanding why the feeling they are experiencing won't go away!

3. Put Down the Fork!

I know that I personally struggle with this one. I have a nasty habit of preparing my next bite while I'm still chewing my last one! If you have your mouth full of tangy-sweet cranberry sauce covered turkey, put your knife and fork down. Wait to prepare your next bite until you've finished the last one. This will help you to pace yourself, eat slower, and be more aware of the signals your body is sending you which will prevent over eating.

4. Take 5

Did you clean your plate and still find yourself eying another portion of grandma's famous macaroni? Take a break. Make yourself wait five full minutes before you reach for seconds. During that time, be aware of what's going on in your body. What's telling you to reach for more? Is it your mind and your taste buds attempting to overrule the "I'm full!" signals your stomach is sending? Or do you truly have room for a few more small bites? Take a break to re-evaluate before diving right back in. On the same topic, maybe consider a quick walk around the block to get some fresh air and get a good feeling for how dinner has affected your body before you jump right into dessert.

5. Remember, Quantity Does Not Equal Quality

Sure, your second-cousin's award winning pecan pie may be the stuff of legends, but the exquisite taste of all her love baked into that buttery crust isn't any less incredible if you eat half a slice instead of a full one. Treat yourself to all of your favorite holiday snacks this Thanksgiving, but always remember that the quality of the food does not increase the more you eat, and the flavor will not be any less delectable if you don't eat as much as you did last year.

Remember: moderation is the key to success. Think of how proud you will be to wake up the day after Thanksgiving without feeling any guilt or remorse AND still having been able to share in the feast alongside your family. You will have enjoyed a wonderful holiday, and you'll feel incredible about your self-control! How awesome is that?!

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #8)

Healthy Eating Tip #8: Add Calcium For Strong Bones 

Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, as well as many other important functions.

You and your bones will benefit from eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job.

Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Try to get as much of your daily calcium needs from food as possible and use only low-dose calcium supplements to make up any shortfall.

Good sources of calcium include:

• Dairy: Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
• Vegetables and greens: Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of calcium. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
• Beans: For another rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #7)

Healthy Eating Tip #7: Put Protein In Perspective

Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues, and organs. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.

Here are some guidelines for including protein in your healthy diet:

Try different types of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu, and soy products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.

• Beans:  Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices.
• Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and veggie burgers for a change.
• Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.

Downsize your portions of protein. Many people in the West eat too much protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans, or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #6)

Healthy Eating Tip #6: Enjoy Healthy Fats And Avoid Unhealthy Fats

Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart, and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails.  Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia.

Add to your healthy diet:

• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans), and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Reduce or eliminate from your diet:

• Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #5)

Healthy Eating Tip #5: Eat More Healthy Carbs And Whole Grains

Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.

A quick definition of healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs

Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.

Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.

Tips for eating more healthy carbs

• Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different grains to find your favorites.
• Make sure you're really getting whole grains. Be aware that the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran can be deceptive. Look for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” at the beginning of the ingredient list. In the U.S., Canada, and some other countries, check for the Whole Grain Stamps that distinguish between partial whole grain and 100% whole grain.
• Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains. If whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole grains. You can gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.

Avoid: Refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #4)

Healthy Eating Tip #4: Fill Up On Colorful Fruits And Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.

Some great choices include:

• Greens. Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
• Sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.
• Fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

The importance of getting vitamins from food—not pills

The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases. And while advertisements abound for supplements promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the same.

A daily regimen of nutritional supplements is not going to have the same impact of eating right. That’s because the benefits of fruits and vegetables don’t come from a single vitamin or an isolated antioxidant.

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables come from numerous vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals working together synergistically. They can’t be broken down into the sum of their parts or replicated in pill form.

Healthy Eating-- Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It (Tip #3)

Healthy Eating Tip #3: It's Not Just What You Eat, It's How You Eat

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

• Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
• Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
• Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
• Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
• Avoid eating at night. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple dietary adjustment—eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day—may help to regulate weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided, anyway.