More healthy tips for Thanksgiving

I have come up with tips to help keep you healthier during Thanksgiving and prevent gaining weight. Some of these tips I found from 10 Tips for a Thinner Thanksgiving article. These suggestions and tips came from an interview with Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, and former president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). However, some of these ideas I came up with myself.

1)      My first tip is to use real fruits and vegetables instead of the canned stuff. Real fruits and veggies are healthier than the canned items.

2)      Try to use small amounts of butter. In the article from the website it also recommends to use less oil and butter, to use fat-free sour cream and chicken broth, and sugar substitutes.

3)      Eat a small breakfast. According to the article, “While you might think it makes sense to save up calories for the big meal, experts say eating a small meal in the morning can give you more control over your appetite”.

4)      Get some exercise. My family and I have a tradition to go on a family walk together a couple hours after our meal. I think it is a great way to get some exercise for the day and still be with family. The article also includes this in its tips. 'Eat less and exercise more' is the winning formula to prevent weight gain during the holidays," suggests Connie Diekman.

5)      Portion control. It is important to think about how big of servings you are putting on your plate. Some suggestions for the article include surveying the buffet and thinking about reasonable sizes of portions. Another idea from the article is "Don't waste your calories on foods that you can have all year long," suggests Diekman. "Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods."

6)      Resist going back for more. Try to avoid the temptation of going back for seconds. My family usually has a lot of leftovers that I can enjoy for days after the holiday. If you rather not have the options of have leftovers, you could take your leftovers to a homeless shelter and bless someone with the delicious food you made.

7)      Choose some of the healthiest choices. "White turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, defatted gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories," says Diekman.

If you have any other tips for making Thanksgiving healthier, please let me know because I love to hear what other people do. I hope this was some helpful tips for this upcoming holiday!