Eating Healthy for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. Spending time with my family, watching football, eating all the great food, then falling asleep usually because I ate too much, it's all a great time. Not to mention, giving thanks for the positives in my life.

Since becoming a chiropractor I have become much more aware of what happens to my body during the holidays, and the official holiday season begins next week!

Today's post is not going to be about what to avoid or how to counteract everything that you consume, but more on sensible tips to monitor yourself and setting some guidelines to direct your focus. As the old saying goes "Fail to plan and you plan to fail."

Some of the information for today's article comes from Healthcastle.com, read the full article by clicking on the link, but I will highlight a few of the key points.

A Healthier Thanksgiving

Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time.

Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.

Side Dishes - watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.

Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.

One of the most important things to remember is that it takes time for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full. Some other useful tips to keep things in moderation are to put your fork down between bites, make sure your chewing your food thoroughly, and sip some water between courses or bites. These three tips will allow your body to adapt to all the wonderful foods you'll be eating this holiday season.

For some additional tips on how to maintain a fitness schedule and eating habits during this years holiday season check out this Womenfitness.com article (Yes, it even applies to men).