Thanksgiving Top 10-ish Eat Right Tips

Polls

How do you like to stay fit?

	The Gym!
	Running / Jogging
	Rollerblading
	Cycling
	Tennis
	Team Sports
	All of the Above!

Our Sponsors

DWYCI Fitness: Sports

DWYCI Fitness prides itself on improving an athlete’s strength, power, speed, flexibility, body control, agility, and conditioning.

Thanksgiving Top 10-ish Eat Right Tips

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 05:47

It"s almost Thanksgiving, so to ease your diet stress, here are the top 10 tips from the top nutrition experts - registered dietitians - to help you have a happy, but healthy holiday!

Savor the Moment
"Savor your meals this holiday season, for your palate as well as your waistline," says Tricia O"Keefe Girbal, RD, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant in Silicon Valley, CA "Not only does slow eating allow for a greater sense of satisfaction, but a new study finds that slow eating impacts appetite control and may decrease your chances of overeating. What"s important is to listen to cues coming from your body and eat until you are almost full, not entirely full."

Stay Well
Rana Parker, MPH, RD, LAPD Registered Dietitians gives this advice: "Focus on eating well for immune boosting properties since people have been sick and are worried about getting sick" She adds that it"s best to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and spices for phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Be Active
Take a walk after your meal, enjoy some time outdoors and stick to your exercise routine. "Some of the best time spent with the family could be the time you enjoy a walk around the neighborhood," suggests Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD, Albuqerque, NM.

Simple Substitution
Use low fat items for healthy holiday appetizers: blend fat free cottage cheese, fresh herbs until smooth and creamy for a vegetable or cracker dip recommends Theresa Logan, MS, RD, CSSD, "Substitute nonfat plain yogurt for some/all of the sour cream, mayo and salad dressing in recipes - it adds great flavor and calcium," says Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN Nutrition communications consultant. "Dip veggies in yogurt with garlic and dill and fruit in lowfat vanilla yogurt.

Skip Some Things
Sandy Sfikas, RD, LDN, Editor, Diabetic Cooking says to reach for plain vegetables and sweet potatoes and leave the casseroles alone.

Make your Plate Colorful
Sfikas recommends that we choose bright foods like sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, squash, and broccoli. "Notice that the bland-colored foods are often those with little nutrients and lots of fat - stuffing, mashed potatoes, casserole, gravy." Or, as Sophia Kamveris, MS, RD, LD says, "include a cornucopia of color on your plate!"

It"s not an Eating Contest!
Sfikas says not to feel obliged to go for seconds or to stuff yourself with dessert. "Thanksgiving is a holiday, not an eating contest. Just have fun and enjoy the food and family. If you eat until you are uncomfortable...you"ll be uncomfortable!"

Plate Right
For your dinner plate, Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association says to follow the one plate rule. "Have only one plate of food and opt for 1/4 veggies, 1/2 foods rich in lean protein (like chicken or fish or sirloin/filet mignon/flank steak), 1/4 starch (like pasta, rice, or a starchy veggie like a potato/potatoes); leave room (no more than 1/4 plate) for dessert (fruit and/or a decadent treat like a small brownie, a few small cookies, or small piece of pie/cake or a fruit tart)."

Stay Attuned
Elyse Resch, MS, RD, emphasizes that, "the most important goal for the holidays is to stay attuned to your intuitive signals of hunger, fullness, and what really satisfies your palate." Resch says to remember that this is not the last, or only time that you can eat these foods. "You can have them again whenever you"re hungry. In fact, if you honor your fullness at the Thanksgiving meal, you might even have room for a turkey sandwich and a little more pumpkin pie later in the evening!"

Visit my Blog...