By Heather King,
MS, RD, CDE, Pacific Medical Centers

The holiday season is here – and that means gatherings with family and friends and the endless food traditions we know and love: festive parties, delicious desserts, once-a-year beverages and homemade treats. But the holidays can prove challenging for sticking to a healthy diet – even for the most disciplined among us.

A typical adult needs about 2,000 calories per day, but during the holidays, one plate of Thanksgiving food can constitute over a full day’s calories on its own. So how can we enjoy the plethora of tasty food without completely tossing out our diet and health goals?

Put a twist on tradition

Instead of completely eliminating your beloved Thanksgiving dishes, consider adjusting the recipe to be more nutritious and favorable to your diet. Many of the classic Thanksgiving dishes are not the healthiest dishes out there – but there are plenty of ways to lighten up the fat, salt and calorie count.

Baked, or seasoned and roasted, potatoes beat their competitors, scalloped or mashed potatoes, when it comes to saving on cream and butter content. These lighter versions can be made flavorful using seasonings and a little olive oil, as well as Greek yogurt and herbs to liven up the flavor. Feeling adventurous? You could even add pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes or choose sweet potatoes, which have all the same benefits of a potato plus beta carotene and vitamin A.

Bake your turkey stuffing in a separate pan. When baked inside the turkey, stuffing absorbs the turkey’s fat drippings that can greatly increase the fat and calorie content. If you have recipes for stuffing or other dishes that call for chicken or vegetable broth, use low-sodium broth. Also, low-sodium spice mixes, chicken sausage, nuts, apples or dried cranberries are a good way to make your stuffing more nutritious.

Holiday drinks often add significant calories to your dinner and many of us forget to factor those extra calories and carbohydrates into the overall meal. If you’re planning to enjoy a cocktail, skip the sweets. Sugar and alcohol are easy to overindulge in during the holidays, but if you plan accordingly, you can avoid the sugar binge.

Restructure your plate

Whether you are hosting or attending as a guest, note the size of the dinner plates and the serving utensils. A normal dinner plate today is about 12 inches across; in contrast, dinner plates in the 1960s were only 8 or 9 inches across. To avoid completely filling the plate or bowl provided, choose a smaller plate to help maintain portion control.

Serving size is key to keeping your holiday meal in check. When dishing up for your holiday meals, keep a few references in mind as a guide. A single serving of turkey is about three to three-and-a-half ounces, or roughly the size of a deck of cards. For mashed potatoes, keep in mind that a serving is one-half cup, about the size of a tennis ball. For the cranberry sauce and gravy, stick to about 2 tablespoons, or the size of a golf ball.

To help keep your plate balanced, try and add vegetables and lean protein to your plate first so there is less temptation and space to fill your plate with starchy foods.

Stay active

Just because Thanksgiving is a holiday, it doesn’t mean you should skip your workout. But it doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym! Use the time with family and friends to incorporate physical activity: take a walk or a bike ride, start a flag football game in your backyard, or initiate an after-dinner dance party. Getting even a little bit of exercise, such as a 15- to 20-minute walk after dinner will help with digestion and blood sugar control.

The holidays are a nonstop flood of diet-derailing temptation. But by strategizing and being intentional with how you eat and what you eat, you can celebrate with the ones you love while eating healthily and having fun.

Heather King is a dietician at Pacific Medical Center Renton, Federal Way and Beacon Hill clinics. Learn more at www.PacMed.org.