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