Turkey Day

With such a momentous food-related holiday this week, I feel compelled to write something about Thanksgiving. No one ever likes to have a dietitian around on the one day of the year when it is definite you will overeat. I agree!

For Thanksgiving Day, I take off my dietitian hat and become a "normal person." I LOVE mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberries. I may even eat a piece of pumpkin pie. I will overeat on Thanksgiving Day just like the rest of America.

When people ask me how to control themselves on Thanksgiving, I ask them why would they want to? It is the one day of the year planned exclusively around food and laziness. Enjoy it! If you are trying to lose weight, take a day off. One day of indulging in the Thanksgiving favorites will not set you back too far. You can get back on your plan on Friday and your movement will be more with all of the shopping you need to do, too!

One thing I do want to mention, though. Thanksgiving (and other food events) are notorious for poor food safety. We eat the meal and then leave it sit out for hours, nibbling through the afternoon and evening. This is where the dietitian hat goes back on and I encourage properly storing leftovers. There is nothing worse than dampening the holiday spirit than someone getting sick!

Check out these blog posts on Thanksgiving Day food safety and storing Thanksgiving leftovers properly.

I am headed out to visit family in Ohio for the rest of the weekend. Have a nice time eating and shopping and I will post again next week about how to survive the rest of the holiday season without gaining weight. In the meantime, Enjoy your Turkey Day!

Picture courtesy of Violentz

Labels: Tara Gidus, Thanksgiving

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Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is more than just eating too much that you have to unbutton your pants or falling asleep in front of the football game on TV. It is the time of the year for us to give thanks for what we have.

Here is what I have to give thanks for this year. Since this is a blog about nutrition and health, I will try to keep it within context and not list EVERYTHING I am thankful for.

• A healthy baby. As most of you know, I had my first baby in June, Basil Oscar Gidus. He is by far the most precious, beautiful baby I have ever seen (no bias here). He has 10 fingers and 10 toes, but even if he didn't he would have been perfect. He came out healthy and has been growing and developing just as he should be. He is rolling over like a champ and before long I am sure he will be walking and then running before we know it.
  
• A healthy pregnancy. From start to finish, I had an extremely healthy pregnancy. I felt great with lots of energy and no complications. I am so thankful for my health and do not take it for granted.
• A healthy delivery (do you sense a theme). Seriously, though, I have to mention this, too. Delivering a baby is one of life's greatest moments, but for many people it is scary and painful. I have to say it was a pleasure. One word: EPIDURAL!
• A healthy husband. I thank God every night for putting me together with the most amazing man. Stephen is a marathon runner and understands how important it is to keep yourself in shape and healthy.
  
• My parents. Now that I am a parent, I realize how much goes into parenting. As I said in my Family Meals post, the role modeling of parents is so important in many areas of life, including nutrition. I am thankful for being raised enjoying healthy food.
• My career. I wasn't sure how much I was going to want to or be able to work after having Basil. While I love spending every minute I can with the little guy, it is nice to work, too. I was able to land the job as the Team Dietitian for the Orlando Magic this year as well as pick up some other great consulting jobs.
  

I hope you are able to take a few minutes to think about what you are thankful about this year.

Labels: Tara Gidus, Thanksgiving

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