Healthy Turkey Day Tips for Your Family: Creating a Healthier Thanksgiving Tradition

Here are some great tips for a healthier holiday!

Thanksgiving Day – 

Before the Turkey Dinner

Do not skip breakfast and lunch  - eat normal meals until the big one!

Do something active in the morning – run in  a local turkey trot, organize a family game of soccer or a neighborhood flag football game, go on a family hike or bike ride.

Preparing the Food

• Decide which traditions you want to keep – then add some new, healthier ones
• Offer cut veggies and dip for pre-dinner snacks
• Offer fewer choices of desserts – instead of having 5 different types of pie and wanting one of each, serve 1 kind of pie. Research shows that if there are more choices, we will eat more
• Don’t eat too late – eat around 4 or 5 pm so you have plenty of time to digest before bed.
• Don’t linger too long at the dinner table – you will eat (and drink) more!
• Serve (and drink) a lot of water! Make it festive, add sliced limes and cranberries to sparkling water. 

After Dinner

• Send leftovers home with guests
• Spend Friday doing something fun and active if you aren’t hitting the store.
• Keep some leftovers for Friday then set a goal to get them out of the house by Monday!

If you are going to someone else's house:

1) Offer to bring veggies and dip or salad so you know you have some healthy choices

2) Bring a couple of bottle of sparkling water which is festive and appreciated by host!

3) Bring some clementine oranges for dessert.

3 quick recipe suggestions:

1. Grilled Green Beans – toss green beans with a little olive oil, salt and pepper than put in oven at 450 for about 10 minutes. 
2. Mashed potatoes – substitute chicken broth and nonfat milk to keep flavor but avoid the extra calories
3. Offer fruit as a dessert option ( you will be amazed at how fast it disappears!)