Excitement is rising as the holidays are fastly approaching. I can almost taste Thanksgiving Break! With less than a week away from turkey day, our families are preparing for the feasts. While some of us are planning the meal, others are mentally preparing to control our eating habits. But how can we maintian healthy consumption on a holiday that’s surrounded by food?
With that in mind, here are some of my ideas for enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner that won’t destroy your diet.
Make sure you eat lunch.
In the midst of watching the parade, helping out in the kitchen, or mingling with your relatives, it’s easy to hold off on a mid-day meal. If you take a break to eat something during lunchtime, however, you won’t feel food deprived at the dinner table. Eating a modest lunch will help maintain your energy and help eliminate the want for two, three, or four helpings at dinner. Don’t let aniticpation for the delicious meal stop you from mid-day munching either.
Add some color to your plate.
Don’t sit down to a beige-only plate. Turkey and mashed potatoes are big parts of Thanksgiving dinner, but don’t overload your plate with these pale favorites. For a balanced and healthy meal, add green beans, cranberry sauce, and corn. Your plate will not only look more exciting, but its various components are more satiating. If you consume smaller portions of many different foods, you can avoid overeating and the “blah” feeling that comes with shoveling down a few mounds of buttery mashed potatoes.
Half a slice of apple and half a slice of pumpkin, please!
Like preparing many sides for Thanksgiving dinner, many families prepare a few different Thanksgiving desserts. And if you’re a dessert lover like me, you want to try to one of everything, right? Well you can have both your cakes and eat them too. Instead of having a full piece of pumpkin pie and then deciding you also want a slice of apple, have a little of each at once. Enjoy half and half. You will feel satisfied having enjoyed both favorites while avoiding overindulgence!