For those living in a retirement community, Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to bring together your family and friends for one of the year’s best meals. However, this holiday can pack quite the dietary wallop to otherwise healthy eating habits. According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American consumes around 3,000 calories during Thanksgiving dinner and more than 4,500 calories throughout the day. Additionally, Thanksgiving meals are usually loaded with more fat, and the average person may consume up to 3.5 times their recommended daily intake. During the holidays, it’s easy for us to put our health last and dive into second slices of apple pie, but there are numerous easy ways to make Thanksgiving a healthy holiday.
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Here are five ideas for planning a healthy holiday gathering:
1. Watch the Butter & Oil
Traditional Thanksgiving culinary advice tells us that adding butter makes anything taste better, but in general, many recipes call for more butter and oil than is needed. Unless you follow a specific recipe, slowly add butter to dishes rather than pile it in immediately. This method will ensure a good flavor without overdoing the butter and oil.
2. Assign Specific Foods for Each Guest to Bring
Have you ever attended a potluck or gathering and found that everyone brought a dessert? Your friends and family may be prone to show up with an unhealthy dish rather than a salad. Better Home and Gardens recommends avoiding this scenario by assigning dishes for your guests to bring, such as veggies and other healthy sides. This way, you can focus on the main course and ensure that your guests come with healthy options.
3. Send Guests Home with Leftovers
Divide leftovers among your guests so you’re not left with a refrigerator full of heavy food. After all, a heaping slice of pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream will probably have less of a dietary impact on your grandkids. Hopefully, this will also save you from having to do all the dishes, as you can send your friends and family home with serving trays that can be returned later.
4. Opt for Healthy Side Dishes
Make sure to have a wide range of healthy side dishes such as salad, fresh fruit, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus. Also, avoid making unhealthy sides. For example, holiday tradition tells us to load up sweet potatoes with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows, but these veggies can easily be served mashed or roasted.
5. Use Lower Calorie Ingredients
Sub out heavy ingredients for healthier alternatives. For example, use skim milk rather than loading up traditional mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter. The odds are that when you look at all of your Thanksgiving recipes, you’ll be able to find simple ways to make each of them a little bit healthier in a similar fashion.
