Thanksgiving: Preserve the tradition of great taste but not overindulgence

Content provided by Teller Stalfort, MPH, RD, UVA Heart and Vascular Center dietitian

On Thanksgiving Day, families gather to embrace their heritage, share traditions and enjoy time-honored foods. We also eat to the point of discomfort; calorie estimates of the typical Thanksgiving meal range from 2,000 to a staggering 7,100. These meals can include more than a day's worth of sodium and up to 200 grams (more than four times the daily limit) of fat.

This Thanksgiving, experiment with ingredients that create the same great taste but without the guilt. As you plan your shopping list, look for ingredients that will make family-favorite recipes tasty AND good for you.

Here's how to make a healthier Thanksgiving day:

• Pack your shopping cart with plenty of fresh vegetables like sweet potatoes, winter squash, broccoli, carrots and green beans (check out this month's candied yam featured recipe). Apples, cranberries and pears combine easily for a tasty salad, fruit crisp, stuffing or turkey topping.
• Use whole-grain bread, breadcrumbs and wild rice for the stuffing or as a side dish.
• For dips, sauces and pie toppings use non-fat yogurt or fat-free sour cream.  Non-fat yogurt works best in dishes that don't require heating.
• Use egg substitutes or egg whites in place of whole eggs. A quarter-cup egg substitute equals one egg, cutting 5 grams of fat and 213 mg of cholesterol from your recipe. Two egg whites replace one whole egg.
• Try evaporated skim milk instead of whole milk.
• Use low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth in your mashed potatoes.
• Top casseroles with almonds instead of fried onion rings.
• Check cookbooks and cooking magazines for updated, health-conscious versions of favorite holiday recipes.
• Enjoy your meal and prevent overindulgence, eat slowly, savor each bite and engage in mealtime conversations. Eating slowly allows your stomach to get full. The football games on TV can wait, that's what TIVO is for!

And, of course, don't forget to engage in regular physical activity throughout the holiday season. Never is this more important than on the holiday itself, as it allows you an opportunity to take the focus off food and place it where it belongs -- spending time with loved ones. Get the entire family involved -- walk, bike, play a game of catch or golf. Good physical activity habits teach kids that family exercise is as important as family meals.

Content  partially adapted from the American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org