Who's ready to pack it in for Turkey Day? I know that I am. Usually I don't try to hold back b/c really there are only two times per year where you're officially allowed to pig out...in the name of Jesus. However, this year, I do think that I will be reasonable and conservative in my holiday eating. Here are a few tips to keep you from busting a gut during the holiday season.

If you are a guest of a Thanksgiving dinner:

• 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.
• Turkey - go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to slash away some fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the side dishes and desserts.
• 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.
• Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.

If you are the honorable chef of a Thanksgiving dinner:

• Substitute high fat ingredients with lower-fat or fat-free ingredients. Learn about the 5 easy steps to recipe substitutions or see table below.
• Leftover Turkey? Instead of turkey sandwiches, use the leftover turkey to make a pot of soup with fresh chunky vegetables.
• Experiment with new recipes: we did a search on Google and found numerous delicious yet healthy low-fat contemporary Thanksgiving recipes. Experiment!
  
  

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe Substitution Tips

Recipe calls for...			Substitution
	1 whole egg			2 egg whites
	sour cream			low fat plain yogurt or low fat sour cream
	milk			skim or 1% milk
	ice cream			frozen yogurt
	heavy cream (not for whipping)			1:1 ratio of flour whisked into non fat milk (e.g. 1 cup of flour + 1 cup of non fat milk)
	whipped cream			chilled evaporated skim milk or other low fat whipped products such as Nutriwhip
	cheese			low-fat cheese (please note: non-fat cheese does not melt well if use in cooking or baking)
	butter			light butter
	cream of mushroom			fat-free cream of mushroom