Thanksgiving Dinner – Add Health and Reduce Stress!
How to cut meal stress & eat healthy this Thanksgiving.
It may seem like everything is becoming “green” lately, but Thanksgiving? Why not!
Often, Thanksgiving meals are loaded up on brown, carb-heavy foods. This year, why not try to “green up” your Thanksgiving meal?
Not only will this increase your vegetable intake, it will make your table more beautiful. Some suggestions are Brussels Sprouts, green and yellow beans, broccoli, broccolini or cabbage.
Roasting, steaming, or sautéing are all simple ways to add these gorgeous and in-season vegetables to your meal. Toss them with some slivered almonds for crunch, or a few spoons of diced bacon for a decadent twist, or just let them shine on their own.
5 Easy Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Meal Healthier
- Refuse to give up anything, instead, be mindful of your portions and eat lighter meals before and after Thanksgiving dinner.
- Include a green vegetable at your meal such as spinach salad, asparagus, brussels sprouts or green beans.
- For every alcoholic drink you have, drink a glass of water, or soda water in between.
- Eat Thanksgiving dinner and dessert
S-L-O-W-L-Y and truly savor and enjoy every bite. - Before you go for seconds, wait 15 minutes and decide if you are still hungry.
Cut Your Thanksgiving Stress
Are you hosting family and friends for Thanksgiving dinner? Or attending a meal, and need to bring a dish? Plan and prepare ahead!
Many dishes that we consider traditional Thanksgiving items can be prepared or started in advance, relieving stress around meal-time, and allowing us more opportunity to visit and enjoy holiday meal company.
Here are 3 ways to free up time.
Plan it!
Making a plan in advance of what you are serving, and when it needs to be prepared is a huge help. If you know what time, and what temperature you need for all your dishes, it’s much easier to coordinate the stove and oven to maximize their use and minimize last-minute panic.
Prep it!
Many vegetables can be peeled and/or cut in advance. Peel and slice your carrots a day ahead, for example. Mince onions and celery ahead of time for stuffing. Make sure your serving dishes and utensils are clean and ready for use.
Pre-make it!
Make a pie or other desserts in advance, and freeze or refrigerate them. You can even cook your turkey a day or two ahead, carve it up, and reheat it before serving. This reduces pre-meal mess and also gives you a lower stress day to ensure that it’s fully cooked.
All of us at Health Stand Nutrition, wish you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving Day!
Looking for more simple meal planning tips and healthy recipes for a healthier lifestyle?
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Brought to you by our friendly Registered Dietitian team at Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. For more balanced living advice check out our RESOURCE MEGA BANK of nutrition articles, videos, healthy recipes, newsletters and meal planning kits here: www.healthstandnutrition.com/personal-nutrition/resource-mega-bank/
