I say "heck, yes!" You can easily substitute all the fatty and high-calorie items with lower-cal versions. But come on. Seriously?
Who is going to do that? Who is going to skip the mashed potatoes and do mashed cauliflower instead? Who plans on substituting pecan pie with a fruit salad for dessert? Not me.
There are a few occasions in which a little indulgence is appropriate. In my opinion, Thanksgiving is one of those occasions!
Let's look at the numbers...
The average person will consume more than 4500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving day alone, according to the Caloric Control Council. Holy Cow! Pretty daunting stat!
I certainly don't want to consume three+ days worth of calories in one sitting. But I also don't want to be the sad Pilgrim at the table turning down the broccoli cheese casserole! I do think there is a happy medium.
Just in time for you to prep your shopping list, here are my suggestions for a Sorta-Guilt Free Turkey Day
1) Choose 2-3 vices, not 33 – If you LOVE mashed potatoes, have a scoop. If you die for pie, have a sliver. If you can't get enough of the weird sugary green jello stuff that always seems to don the table, have a serving. But don't scoop up a serving of everything! Use your judgment – if it's overly creamy or cheesy, put it on your vice list. And only have a few of those vice items.
2) Exercise in the morning and take a walk after the meal – For years I ran the YMCA Turkey Trot with the BFF, we always did the 5K fun run, which was just enough to burn some calories, get us moving and set the tone for a great day. Now that we both have kids, go to Thanksgiving celebrations out of town and generally have busier lives, we don't do this together anymore. Insert sad face here. But there are Turkey Trot-style events all over the country. You could even stage your own Turkey Trot with your kiddos, hubs and family. This year, we are going to try to go to the one in Oklahoma City. We are spending T-Day with Ad Man's fam, by the way.
And then after the meal, encourage everyone to take a walk. What a cool tradition to start!
3) Eat the good stuff first – And by good stuff, I mean healthier stuff, first. Some of the best items on the menu that have great nutrition and are lean on calories are turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salads (with dressing on the side), homemade cranberry relish, veggies and pumpkin pie. Fill up on those first and then dig in to the vices. You'll feel full and eat less of the guilt-ridden gravy.
4) Bring a healthy dish – Often we are subject to eat the food as it is prepared by Grandma (who sneaks in enough butter to make Paula Dean proud) and we don't know if it is low-cal. So, why not consider bringing a healthier dish? No one will know that you made the green bean casserole with low-fat cream of mushroom soup. Here are some suggestions:
- Bring whole wheat rolls instead of starchy white rolls.
- Make a sugar-free jello dessert with light cool whip.
- Perhaps a non-traditional dish like a whole wheat pasta toss with olive oil, mozzarella and tomatoes. Yum. That actually sound A-mazing. Maybe I'll make that for dinner...
5) Skip Seconds – As hard as this may be, skip going through the buffet line a second time. I am an absolute sucker for mashed potatoes. I have been known to have three scoops of taters before calling it quits. I know right? That is a recipe for bloating and having to unbutton my pants. Anyway, try really thinking through the healthy options + a few indulgences on the first trip. And don't keep eating after you feel full.
So there you have it. I wish you a fabulous and wonderful Turkey Day with friends and family! Gobble Gobble!
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