5 Tips for a Healthier Thanksgiving Plate

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, connection, and joyful indulgence. Whether your “table of plenty” features traditional holiday fare, new family recipes, or all the above, chances are you’ll have plenty of opportunity to eat … and eat, and eat, and eat.

With an abundance of rich cuisine and high calorie foods that are easy to overeat, it’s no wonder that the average Thanksgiving meal contains about 3,000 calories and 160 grams of fat, or 30-50% more calories and fat than many adults need in a day.

Besides leaving you feeling as stuffed as the turkey on the table, holiday overeating can derail your weight management efforts, too. Our team at Nova Physician Wellness Center is here to help, with five effective strategies for a healthier Thanksgiving plate.

1. Don’t skip early meals to ‘save room’

Whether it’s scheduled for high noon or closer to conventional dinner time, don’t go into your Thanksgiving meal feeling famished. When you skip earlier meals thinking you can “save room” to enjoy all your favorite holiday dishes with guilt-free abandon, you’re much more likely to overeat.

Feeling very hungry at the start of a self-serve meal like Thanksgiving makes you more likely to grab extra large portions, eat quickly, go back for seconds or thirds without giving your brain time to “register fullness,” and feel freer to sample all the dessert options. Put another way: Portion control and mindful eating go out the window.      

2. Make healthy swaps when cooking

Whether you’re a guest who’s been asked to bring one or two sides, or you’re hosting and responsible for most of the meal, look for ways to make healthier ingredient swaps in the dishes you’re making. Specifically, try to cut back on fat, sodium, and sugar. You can: 

• Use herbs, spices, and low sodium broth to flavor dishes, instead of salt
• Make vegetable dishes from scratch to avoid sodium-rich processed options
• Choose roasted or steamed vegetables over veggie dishes with creamy sauces
• Select low-fat milk and sour cream over heavy cream and butter for potatoes
• Skip the deep fryer; cook your turkey in the oven with an olive oil rub (not butter)
• Substitute applesauce or low fat plain yogurt for baked goods that call for oil
• Cut the amount of sugar in desserts by one-quarter to one-half of the recipe

Choose whole-grain rolls over those made with refined flour, and make cranberry sauce healthier by using less sugar or substituting a natural sweetener like honey to taste. 

3. Fill half your plate with vegetables

When mealtime arrives, fill half of your Thanksgiving plate with nonstarchy vegetables like garlic green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots, or squash, mashed cauliflower, sauteed kale or collard greens, a fresh leafy green salad, or even herb-stuffed mushrooms.

If your Thanksgiving table is low on nonstarchy vegetables, consider adding fruit to your plate, instead. A healthy cranberry sauce, baked apples, and pears are all good options.

After you fill the rest of your plate with the traditional turkey and starches (see below), eat your veggies first. Starting with lower calorie, fiber-rich cuisine helps you eat more slowly and feel satiated more quickly, leaving less room for indulging in higher calorie fare.  

4. Be selective with proteins and starches

Reserve the other half of your plate for proteins and starchy vegetables, giving equal space to each. You can minimize your intake of calories and fat while still enjoying all the offerings by being selective and mindful of your portions.    

When choosing your turkey, select white meat portions over dark meat (avoid drumsticks), and remove the skin before eating. A healthy turkey portion is about the size of your palm. 

The final quarter of your plate is for starchy veggies and grains like stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed or baked potatoes, rice pilaf, or corn pudding. If you want to try several sides, take sample sized portions (about 1 tablespoon) of each. Otherwise, keep your portions to half a cup or less (about the size of a standard scoop of ice cream).

5. Choose your ‘treats’ ahead of time

Thanksgiving comes once a year, making it easy to fall into an indulgence mindset. Instead of anticipating a limit-free day, choose one or two “treat foods” to look forward to at your holiday meal. Decide which treats you won’t indulge in, too.

Whether you’re excited about enhancing your meal with a dinner roll and a glass of wine, or you’d prefer to satisfy your holiday cravings with a slice of pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of whipped cream, it’s easier to enjoy your prechosen treats to the fullest when you know you won’t be tempted to consume everything that’s on offer. 

Weight control through the holidays

Looking for expert support as you try to control your weight through the holiday season?  

With seven Virginia locations in Fairfax, Lansdowne, Vienna, Arlington, Charlottesville, Sterling, and Woodbridge, and another office in Rockville, Maryland, our Nova Physician Wellness Center team is here to help. Schedule your visit today.