Thanksgiving at my home looks like this ““ wake up early and put the turkey in the oven. Enclose the cats behind doors that curious nieces and nephews can’t open, then set the table.
Begin preparing army-size portions of the family’s favorite high-carbohydrate side dishes and store them next to the high-calorie desserts prepared the night before. Greet the arriving family and friends who generously bring appetizers and adult beverages, then sit down together at the table to consume mass quantities of everything.
Within 60 minutes of eating, a cacophony of snoring by both men and women is heard in concert with complaints of “I ate too much.” If one of the guests happens to be awake to cheer a touchdown, the group may simultaneously look up to ask in chorus “who scored?” Sound familiar?
While I love this tradition, I had an eye-opening experience last Thanksgiving. As a group, we were looking through photos of past celebrations, and I sadly realized all of us became heavier each year.
Because I love this crazy family and want many more holidays with them, I am determined to make this Thanksgiving meal a healthy one. If you want to join me ““ here is my plan:
Control the portions
1. Tell the guests not to bring any food or drinks. Assure them you’ll have everything. If someone insists on bringing something, ask for fresh veggies or a green salad.
2. Prepare just enough food for the number of guests expected. Feel free to make larger portions, but put them in take home containers for the guests before they arrive. This decreases temptation to eat more because so much is available.
3. Prepare food with as many healthy substitutions as possible: limit salt, use non-aspartame sugar substitutes, select vegetable macaroni, use fresh cranberries and add fresh vegetables as a side dish.
Be prepared at mealtime
4. Serve dinner as soon as everyone arrives and avoid appetizers. Offer nuts and fresh vegetables if appetizers are a must.
5. Have water at every place setting; drinking water will help guests feel full faster.
6. Use smaller plates so smaller portions appear larger.
7. Serve the plates from the kitchen or buffet style rather than having bowls of food on the table. Having to get up for another portion may deter some people.
8. Take a 30 minute break between the main meal and dessert. We require a few minutes after ingesting food for our brains to recognize we are full. This delay will help avoid choosing larger portions of dessert.
How will you know if our plan is successful? The family will agree to have Thanksgiving again at your house, and everyone will stay awake to see the final score of the game.
