Staying Healthy For Thanksgiving

In the United States, some people try to make the most of Thanksgiving holiday with little regard for their diet and health. Below are some tips that you could follow to eat healthier over Thanksgiving without gaining those annoying extra pounds.

Stay active: Regular exercise and staying active will keep your body's metabolism up and your exercise routine in check. If you simply cannot say 'no' to an extra serving of gravy, continue exercising after Thanksgiving to burn all the excess calories you took in from the meal. Staying motivated to work out and maintain your training may help you burn those calories faster than people who struggle to get to the gym or exercise regularly.

Don't skip breakfast: There's a misconception that skipping the breakfast will help you 'save up calorie space' for the big Thanksgiving meal, which is absolutely wrong. You should never skip your breakfast if you want to have complete control over your appetite during the rest of the day. Breakfast is the first meal of the day and thus it should not be too big; ideally, it should be a medium-sized, satisfying meal. Your breakfast on Thanksgiving may include two boiled or poached eggs, a bowl of wholegrain cereal or a few slices whole-wheat toast.

Eat small portions: A Thanksgiving table always stays filled with a large number of calorie-laden dishes. Before loading your plate, have a quick look at the options available on the table. Make sure your plate has all the food you like but in small portions; this will allow you to taste each of your favorite items without being guilty of overeating.

Follow healthy cooking guidelines: Below are some cooking guidelines that will allow you to serve a Thanksgiving meal that is much healthier compared to the conventional Thanksgiving platters.

Prepare the turkey: If you are cooking for a small group of people, you should avoid purchasing a whole turkey; instead purchase a few turkey breasts. Meat obtained from the turkey breast contains much less calories than the dark meat and is a much healthier option.

Avoid baked dressings and stuffing substitutes: Avoid baking the dressing within the turkey; instead use the casserole for this. Baking dressings inside the turkey will cause them to absorb a lot of fat from the turkey, which ends up increasing the total calorie value of the dish. When it comes to stuffings, most recipes use white bread as a foundation. White bread is a refined grain and all it ends up doing is soaking up the butter and oil in the turnkey, making it a really high calorie dish. Instead try using a stuffing made from brown or wild rice...preferably prepared and served outside the turkey as a side dish.

Make your own cranberry sauce: Those convenient cans of cranberry sauce are just that...convenient, nothing more. In fact, they're usually very high in preservatives and sugar. There are loads of recipes online on how to make your own cranberry sauce. Besides being a healthier option, it'll also be much tastier.

Other than Thanksgiving, people in the United States also have some other holidays in the month of November, for instance All Saints Day (on 1st November) and Veterans Day (on 11th November).

All Saints Day is basically a solemnity celebrated for honoring all the saints. Like all other celebrations, food also plays a big role in the 'All Saints Day' celebrations. Usually, the dinner menu for this day includes a lot of soups and broths. Instead of eating deep fried, oily food items and dishes topped with cheese and cream in large portions, replace them with lighter flavor-filled alternatives like carrot-ginger soup, chicken soup etc.

People in the United States celebrate Veterans Day every year to honor the armed service veterans. Food is of course another major part of the celebrations.

With three holidays in the month of November, it's very important to ensure that you not only watch the type (and amount) of food you eat, but also to keep your intake of alcohol as low as possible.

As obvious as it may seem, some people can still go overboard when it comes to the amount of food and alcohol they consume during Thanksgiving and the other celebrations in November. Drinking a glass or two of water before and during the meal will trick your brain into thinking you're full and therefore help limit your intake of excess food and alcohol.

Maintaining your nutritional intake throughout Thanksgiving will ensure your body is getting the right ingredients, nutrients and minerals to complement your health-conscious food decisions. By taking products like Total Balance, Kiwi-Klenz and Omega 3 fish oil product every day, combined with frequent exercise and healthy food choices, you'll be well on your way to making this November one of your healthiest months ever!