Thanksgiving Tradeoffs…

On the fourth Thursday in November we in the United States do something that is so… American. We have a holiday set aside to celebrate the abundance of food. And while we are far from the 1600’s and a good percentage of us BUY our food for this holiday, and have done nothing to grow it ourselves (of course with a few exceptions), it is safe to say that most will be eating far more than what the Pilgrims and Indians ate at the first Thanksgiving celebrations.

So, while I try my best to not throw cold water on most celebrations, I offer up several tradeoffs on the Thanksgiving traditions and encourage families to adopt new ones.

1. If you have not already kicked off the eating season nearly a month ago with Halloween, you are surely about to start now. So, I always encourage people to “go easy” on Wednesday and Friday (and even Saturday and Sunday). This means, lighten up on your “normal” calorie intake on these 2-4 days to allow for the excess calories you will inevitably consume on Thursday.


2. Go for that Turkey Trot or any other activity on Thursday morning. Check out active.com and look for a local event and sign up for a 5K run or walk. Any little bit helps. Not in the mood to fork out $20-$30 for a run? Then do it on your own! I see so many people on the trails around my house on Thanksgiving morning, you would think there was an event in my own neighborhood.


3. Eat breakfast. So many people skip breakfast thinking that it will be a tradeoff for all the calories they will be eating later in the day. The problem is they are so hungry by mid-morning or noon, they have snacked through the appetizers, are snatching up the skin, and you definitely don’t want them carving the turkey! There won’t be any left for you. Eat breakfast, and you will feel just fine for the meal later in the day. If you have a late Thanksgiving dinner (4 pm or later) then think about a light lunch as well. A hungry person makes poor choices.


4. Appetizers – a meal before the meal. What appetizers do you have? Chips and salsa/queso? Shrimp cocktail? Cheese and crackers? Veggies with dip? All of these are ok (the veggies are great, it’s the dip that can be calorie laden 2 Tb. = 120 calories!), but be careful in that you don’t consume 1,000 calories of snacks before you sit down to eat!


5. Alcohol is loaded with calories and can easily be overdone. Regular beer is 150 calories per 12-ounces (less in light beer, 110 calories). Wine is around 80-100 calories in a 4-ounce glass (that’s only ½ cup) and those mixed drinks can add up too. A shot of rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, etc. is 100 calories (80 proof – higher proof will provide more calories). But keep in mind, if you have rum and Coke, add calories for the Coke, vodka and cranberry juice, add calories for the cranberry juice. Watch these calories, they are easy to lose track of, and very easy to desire, especially if you are the hostess/host.


6. Don’t drink? That’s ok – you can still load up on the calories. Punch, eggnog, cider and the soda standby will always have calories (except diet soda), so again watch the calories here. Just because you don’t consume the alcohol, don’t think you are “safe” from the drinkable calories.


7. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. It took me many years, but I finally just quit taking that spoonful of dressing/stuffing. Stuffing scares me (food poisoning) and I just don’t like it anyway, whether it’s been inside a bird or not.


8. Get over the guilt. In so many traditional families, some individuals will eat things to not hurt someone’s feelings, or someone give someone a guilt trip over not trying something. Don’t fall for it. It is just food. I hate asparagus, and my mother-in-law makes it for every holiday meal. Everyone loves it! I’m the only one who doesn’t. In the early years, I would take one or two spears and choke it down in order to not offend her. (Early years: if only we could do them over again, it would be easier.) Now, I know it isn’t a big deal. I just skip it.


9. Take a(nother) walk. After you have finished dinner, and have HELPED with the dishes and leftovers, this is a good time to take a family walk. I know, I know. There is football on T.V. So go for a walk anyway! One year, it was just the girls. Some of your crazy neighbors will very likely have his Christmas decorations up already.


10. After you have burned some calories, now you can have dessert. Not sure what you want? We always have two types of pies and can never decide. So, have one of each, but not a full piece. SAMPLE each one. Have a half slice or smaller. Remember the crust is the unhealthiest part, so if you leave a bit of that behind all the better. Pumpkin is fewer calories than pecan. And definitely have some whipped cream instead of ice cream.

Doing all of these tips will save you some calories, but please remember to enjoy the day. You don’t need to avoid your favorite foods, just watch the overload and balance the days and calories in other places. These tips can be applies to any eating holiday.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well!

Chocolate IS Good for You

Chocolate is good for you! I get people telling me this all the time. Unfortunately, most people just don’t know the details. Sometimes I ask those who “inform” me of this bit of health information "why exactly it is good for you"? They usually don't knnow.

Once I tell them the truth about what kind of chocolate they should be consuming and just how much is needed to be good, they often just roll their eyes at me, and go on eating their mini-Hershey’s or Reese’s peanut butter cups in the mistaken belief that they are doing something good for themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a box of Junior Mints or a Mounds Bar myself now and again, but I don’t delude myself into believing that I’m eating a “health” food because there is chocolate on it.

Here is the truth: Chocolate IS good for you, but it is a very specific kind, and in this case, more is not better. There is quite a bit of research out there on the benefits of chocolate. Don’t YOU wish you had been in just ONE of those studies? Dare to dream.

In 2001 I was part of a focus group for one of the major candy companies, however it did not involve actual chocolate, not even a SAMPLE, just pictures. It was asking us how to market a new product to consumers. That product was CocoaVia.

Back to chocolate and how it is good for you. The health benefits are only through DARK chocolate, and this is the important part: the darker the better. Dark chocolate contains flavonols. Flavonols are the compounds found in tea, cranberries, blueberries, and many other fruits and nuts (all plant foods). It is also the compound in chocolate that gives it the bitter taste. That’s why we want darker chocolate; the higher percentage on the label the better.

What exactly are the health benefits? Here are just a few things that research has shown to date:

• It helps keep blood vessels healthy by keeping blood flowing to your eyes, heart, head, fingers and toes, digestive system, muscles, and all the other places that need blood.
• It helps keep the blood from clotting when it shouldn’t as well as keeping inflammation down (chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease and perhaps Alzheimer’s).
• It helps reduce blood pressure when taken daily in small amounts (about 30 calories worth).
• Preliminary research is showing that might help control blood sugar levels (really, chocolate controlling blood sugar!)

Which chocolate to choose? Brand does not matter; it is personal preference. I choose to go to Cost Plus World Market, or the natural foods stores and pick up a few bars of various percentages from several countries. Don’t choose 85%, as that is completely bitter chocolate – unless you want this. I choose something in the 70’s%, but no lower. Remember, the darker the better, so the higher percentage, the better.

How much? You must remember, as with any food, even the ones that are good for you, calories do count. One of the large bars that I get at Cost Plus is 100 grams = 3.5 ounces. That entire bar is 525-575 calories depending on the cocoa percentage. These generally are about 8-10 squares per bar, or 50-75 calories. Make sure you give yourself only one of these squares per day. If you eat the entire bar, you are NOT doing yourself any favors.

The Book pictured above: Chocolate A Healthy Passion by Shara Aaron, MS RD and Monica Bearden, RD is a book about the history and health benefits of chocolate with references. Recipes are included.

This was an item I received free at the ADA FNCE in Chicago in late October. There we DID get lots of free samples of DARK chocolate.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - with a bit of DARK chocolate.