There is something magical about cooking and sharing a meal. The love and energy that goes into the food, is nourishing on a cellular level.
The expectation with Thanksgiving is to overindulge. For goodness sake don’t diet but experiment with slowing down and savoring every bite to avoid that uncomfortably full feeling.
Check in with yourself. Do you need seconds or the third piece of pie? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Take a moment to pause, and make it a conscious decision.
Here are six more tips to help you keep it semi-healthy on Thanksgiving:
- Plan to bring a healthy side dish or appetizer to the celebration. Impress everyone with a yummy side dish or offer to bring a vegetable tray with a healthy dip. My favorite- Spinach Artichoke Dip.
- Eat breakfast. While foregoing breakfast the morning of turkey day seems to make sense, it’s a recipe for disaster! Breakfast will set the tone for healthy eating throughout the day and will get your blood sugars off to a good start. Drink with a green smoothie and make extra for your family to try. Or whip up a veggie omelet and serve it with berries.
- Start the day with movement. Encourage house guests to join you on a run/walk, game of tennis, jump roping challenge or a yoga class. Doing it together makes it fun! The extra movement will put you in a good mood, reduce stress, and help you make better choices throughout the day.
- Give Thanks. Before your first bite, take a few deep breaths and acknowledge all the people that made the meal possible. Mother Earth for growing the food, the farmers harvesting, the people stocking the shelves with food, and THE COOK. Say a prayer or place your hands over the food to give thanks.
- SLOW DOWN – this is key! Take three deep breaths before you start. If you’re the cook, splash some water on your face to help transition from cooking to relaxation. Savor the flavor of the meal and chew.
- Take A Bite. What to try ALL the deserts? A couple bites of your favorite holiday treats are all you need to satisfy the FOMO (fear of missing out) feeling.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself and those around you. This is a day of appreciation and love, not restriction and regret. One meal won’t wreck your healthy eating habits. If you have a food hangover on Friday drink lemon water in the morning and get back on track.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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To stay on track, I go to the gym the day before Thanksgiving (if open). The day of (Thanksgiving), I eat small portions throughout the duration of the meal and the evening. I try to make sure that I have more greens than carbs and proteins.
If I crave a snack at any point before or after the meal, my answer is peanuts or almonds (preferably almonds).
Walter thanks for sharing your tips. I find working out especially the day influences my choices the rest of the day and makes me feel better. Keep up the great work.
I’m definitely going to do #5 this year. There is so much amazing food on our Thanksgiving that taking “just a bite” of everything I want pretty much makes a full meal without any sense of deprivation. FOMO is a biggie for me, so this method works well. Thanks for the great advice!
Amy! Setting a plan to take “just a bite” of everything is great. That way your won’t feel deprived. You are amazing;)
These are great and easy tips for eating smart this holiday season!