Monday, 02 November 2009

• Have a Healthy Holiday Season!

  
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  With Halloween out of the way, everyone is soon to become preoccupied with Thanksgiving Day dinner plans. Along with that task comes the responsibility of creating delicious - and hopefully healthy! - food.

  Here at Healthkicker, we hope to help you get a jump start on the holidays with these great tips on ways to enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving dinner.

  • Instead of using extra sugar or marshmallows in your sweet potatoes, try adding a bit of pumpkin puree! Pumpkin has a great natural flavor and also can be a great sweetener. What's even better is that a canned pumpkin mixture can have more vitamins than a whole pumpkin, so you won't have to trek to the farm to get nutritious!
  • When you're making a stuffing, try to use healthier elements other than breadcrumbs to "fatten" up your turkey. By adding some onions, vegetables or fruits, you'll add in more vitamins and antioxidants and take away a signficant amount of carbohydrates at the same time! However, if you can't help but keep the carbs, cook your stuffing in a casserole dish instead of inside the bird. Even though it may be traditional, cooking the stuffing in the bird causes it to catch all of the fat and grease that drips from inside. Cooking it in a casserole dish cuts away some extra fat!
  • Make sure you are skimming the fat off of your homemade gravy. By using a fat seperator, you can eliminate up to 495 calories per cup!
  • Add in some extra veggies and take away the extra rolls. By giving your guests healthier options - say, a green bean casserole and a squash sidedish - they may opt for those extra sides instead of the extra serving of bread-and-butter.
  • Choose healthy desserts! If you're making a pie, use a graham cracker crust instead of a store-bought one. Most of the carbohydrates and fat come from the thick crust, so by making your own, you're likely to lessen the calories!
  • Most people starve themselves all day in anticipation of the big meal - but this is a big no-no! By going all day without eating, you're increasing your chances of overeating when you finally sit down to enjoy dinner. For breakfast, try having a fruit shake or a muffin... and when lunch comes, enjoy a salad/soup/sandwich combination. Even though you may think it takes away from all the cooking and prep you've done, it can really keep your appetite under control. Make sure you eat throughout the day to avoid overindulging and overeating.
  • If you don't have an activity planned already, start one! Throwing a football around after the meal or carving pumpkins can help keep you active and thus help burn some calories! Whatever you decide, just try to get people off the couch and onto their feet!

  Check back weekly for healthy Thanksgiving Day recipes!

  List compiled with help from EZine Articles.

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