Healthy Thanksgiving Dinner Options

The holidays are a tough time for those trying to lose weight, but there are simple things you can do to keep it healthy.

For the traditional turkey, purchase only the turkey breast. When you roast your turkey, use lemon juice for flavor and to keep it moist and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. You can use a variety of seasonings to rub on the turkey, including, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary, thyme and parsley. The turkey will pop with flavor and you will not miss the traditional fatty version.

For sides, have roasted vegetables; potatoes, beets, yams, carrots, onions, peppers, etc. You can use the same herbs to add flavor or mix it up a bit for variety. You should stay away from stuffing, rolls, macaroni and cheese, and any other starchy food. You can add a tossed salad with a light dressing as well.

Now, for the good stuff, Thanksgiving is nothing without the desserts. There are a number of desserts you can make that will make your holidays special without adding inches to your waistline. When making desserts, you can replace sugar with honey, applesauce, splenda, stevia, or natural raw sugar. The more natural the ingredient the healthier it is. I have tried all of these and found honey to be my favorite. Also, gelatin and puddings are a much healthier choice than that big piece of pecan pie. Using wheat flour is better than white flour as well. You can find many healthy dessert recipes at http://www.eat-well-to-be-well.com/desserts.htm.

We have become accustomed to making Thanksgiving about eating and spending time with family, but perhaps we should try to make it more about spending time with family and lessen the importance of eating. One of the ways to limit the amount you eat is to eat from smaller plates and cut those pies into smaller pieces.

Another thing to consider is exercising during the holidays. I know that when I was a kid, we went outside and played football, but as adults we tend to just watch it on television. The holidays should be about having fun, but unless you want to purchase new pants, being conscious about what you eat will need to take precedence.