Thanksgiving is all about eating as much food as humanly possible... Well it is for me anyway! There is always so much food on everyone's tables and it becomes insanely hard to control ourselves. By following my few simple and easy steps you can stay healthier at next year's Thanksgiving table!
1. Eat your veggies!
Stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. SO much starch is always on our Thanksgiving tables. It's important to keep in mind that the MyPlate diagram calls for half of our plates to include fruits or vegetables. Try to fill half of your plate with salad, green veggies, or any kind of fruit including cranberry or even apple sauce! Try some of these super easy recipes for a healthy version of cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and more veggie recipes!
2. Eat Breakfast!
I cannot stress this enough! I know that most families have their Thanksgiving dinners early, around 2 or 3 p.m. I used to think that if I didn't eat all day, then I could literally just stuff my face at dinner and be fine. No. Don't do that. Eat a healthy breakfast in the morning and you won't be starving for dinner, meaning that you will make better choices. If you like to stay super festiv (like me!) try out this vegan Pumpkin French Toast bake from Minimalist Baker and pair it with a fruit smoothie for a healthy breakfast option.
3. Take a walk!
If you're like me, and need to eat two helpings of Thanksgiving dinner, try to not take a nap in between servings! I know that eating so much turkey makes everyone super tired, but digestion is aided by gravity. This means that if you lay down in between meals, you will not be digesting your food properly. After dinner, my family always likes to take a short walk around the block to help us digest and get some air. Try something like that, or toss around the football in the backyard, whatever suits you. Do something like this for at least a little while, then you can take a nap.
4. DESSERT
This is definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie is my weakness throughout the entire year. By all means, eat your favorite dessert dish but try to pair it with some fruit as well. You could even try to make a healthy version of your favorite dessert. This year my vegan sister made this vegan pumpkin pie and vegan apple crisp! (As you can tell Minimalist Baker has some amazing recipes, try them out!)
I hope everyone had a safe, healthy, and Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season!
