by Dave Saunders
http://www.glycoboy.com/nutrition-articles/111/top-tips-for-good-nutrition-this-thanksgiving/
© 2005
To many, good nutrition and thanksgiving dinner seem to cancel
each other out. However it should be possible and even easy to
make a nutritious meal that is a pleasure to share with friends
and family. Here are a few tips to help you make your holiday
meals healthy ones too.
Prepare a wide variety of foods. Traditional
thanksgiving stories tell us of meals that contained wide varieties
of dishes reflecting the backgrounds of the many people who came
together for these meals and to give thanks. The nutritional benefit
of eating from a wide variety of foods is you gain a wider variety
of nutrients. Also, you are less likely to overload on a single
type of food. If you don’t have time to prepare a large number
of dishes, many grocery stores sell prepared dishes that you can
add to the variety of dishes you’re cooking yourself. Gourmet
grocery stores often prepare these dishes on site.
Try some simple recipes. Instead of making the
obligatory green bean casserole with mushroom soup and fried onions,
how about a simple green bean dish with a dash of sea salt? Substitute
yams, cooked in butter with marshmallows and brown sugar, with
a more simple preparation of yams. You may be surprised at how
much people enjoy the taste of the original ingredients.
Be careful of portion sizes. An ideal meal is
derived from all of the food groups and should include a wide
variety of individual foods. Instead of loading up your plate
with mashed potatoes, start with smaller portions of everything
that has been prepared. If you would like a second helping, follow
the same procedure. By eating from a wider variety of foods you
will be providing your body with a more complex array of nutrients
and you’ll be able to enjoy the many flavors as well.
Pace yourself. Unless you’re on call for
surgery, you probably have a little time. Instead of jumping right
into your second helping, consider a short intermission and burn
some calories by helping out with the dishes. By eating more slowly,
your body will give you signals when you are full. If there are
leftovers you can always eat them later.
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all
of the things that we have. It is a time for us to remember and
reflect on the things that are important in our lives that we
so often take for granted. The sharing of a meal with friends
and family is a wonderful event and is cherished by nearly all
cultures. So take pleasure in the eating and the sharing of food
but also consider the nourishment that food gives you and be thankful
and give honor to the abundance which you have to share.
NBA
Benefit Provider - Hickory
Farms®
NBA
Resource Article - USDA
Teaches Turkey Basics for Safe Holiday Cooking
NBA
Resource Article - Thanksgiving
Countdown
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