The holiday season is fast approaching. At this time of the year, it is really hard to be on a diet of any kind much less hope to lose any weight. Thanksgiving Day is probably the meal that will contribute to most people pack on those extra pounds. But really the Thanksgiving meal doesn’t have to be all that fattening if you do some tweaking to the recipes. You might just find out that you can still enjoy all of your favorite comfort foods and still watch what you eat.  Listed below are some easy ways to fix the classic Thanksgiving dishes but still keep them healthier for you and your family.

* Add lots of spices … Adding extra spices to your foods is a great way to cut back on the calories by not adding butter or gravy to make it taste good.  Also if the food is extra hot or spicy then you will tend to less.

* Instead of cream use evaporated milk … Any recipe such as pies or gravy that calls for cream, try using evaporated milk instead.  Evaporated milk will add the flavor without all of the calories of cream. Remember though to use a product made of skim milk.

* Get rid of all the fat … When cooking the turkey, always use a drip pan instead of one that collects the fat at the bottom of the pan. Also be sure to remove the skin before eating the turkey because this is where the hidden fat and extra calories are.

* Don’t add stuffing to the turkey … When adding stuffing while cooking the turkey, realize that the stuffing absorbs most of the fat and calories. Instead try cooking the stuffing in a separate pan. And if you use the drippings to make the gravy, be sure to skim the fat off first. Another alternative would be to add broth instead.

* Stay away from the butter … Instead of adding butter to the mashed potatoes, add chicken broth and evaporated milk to add flavor.

* Watch what you drink as well … Substitute water or juice with your meal instead of the high-calorie drinks like eggnog, soda or alcoholic beverages.

* Substitute a salad instead of side dishes … Did you know that a lot of what we eat on Thanksgiving is usually mostly side dishes rather than the main course?  Instead of reaching for the stuffing or rolls, why not have a salad instead.  A salad is also a healthy option to help fill you up before the meal.  But also remember to watch what you are adding to the salad because the calories can add up real quick.  Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to enjoy a meal with your family.  Even if you are on a diet, you can still enjoy the day.  But remember though that even if something is good for you, that you still shouldn’t overeat. If you eat thousands of calories that day, you will still will more than likely gain weight.  So remember, always eat healthy foods when you can but in moderation so watch those portions.

Recent Entries

• Healthy Cooking For Thanksgiving
• The Importance of Health Related Fitness
• The Benefits of Fitness

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 2:10 am and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.