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If you want to eat healthfully for Thanksgiving this year, it doesn't mean that you have to eliminate all the foods you love.
Indeed, a traditional holiday meal could be on the menu for you, as long as you make some slight modifications to cut back on fat and sodium, and to add more vegetables and whole grains. Doing so could save the typical person a staggering 50 to 60 grams of fat during the Thanksgiving meal, says Kathy Goldberg, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian and culinary arts specialist at the University of Michigan Health System.
"Thanksgiving can be an absolutely wonderful holiday without all the fat and calories, absolutely enjoyable, absolutely delicious and absolutely fun," says Goldberg, a nutrition expert with MFit, UMHS's health promotion division.
While the common notion that people gain five to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's day is a myth, Goldberg notes, many people do gain a pound or two in that time. A typical Thanksgiving meal can range between 2,000 and 3,000 calories---the amount that the average person shouldn't exceed in an entire day of eating.
Goldberg offers several tips for a healthy Thanksgiving meal that you can enjoy without packing on extra pounds:
1. Slow down! "Enjoy your friends, enjoy your family, enjoy the flavors and textures of the food. It will really help you feel fuller faster because it takes time for your brain to register the food that's in your stomach getting into your blood stream," she says.
2. Don't skip meals. Eat breakfast and have a light lunch on Thanksgiving. This will help to stop you from stuffing yourself on high-calorie foods when dinner is served. And this advice applies to the whole year, not just to Thanksgiving, Goldberg notes.
3. Drink lots of water throughout Thanksgiving day. This will help to keep you full without adding calories. And if you want beer, wine, soft drinks, or other beverages that can have high calorie counts, have just one or two and then switch to sparkling water with a dash of fruit juice, Goldberg advises.
4. Cranberries. Loaded with both flavor and anti-oxidants, cranberries are a very healthy fruit, Goldberg notes. The best versions are fresh
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