Tag Archives: thanksgiving

3,000 Calories Await Americans on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is the number one food holiday in America and the day our calorie counts are the highest during the year. It’s not easy to control your portion sizes of your family’s favorite recipes, but one step to doing so is remembering that this holiday is not only about the food, it’s about giving thanks.

We thought you’d enjoy this infographic with fun Thanksgiving food facts to recognize the massive amount of calories we take in on this day so you can be mindful of what you’re eating. Slow down, enjoy the company you keep, and have a happy and healthy holiday!

Introduce some healthier Thanksgiving sides to your meal this year:

Turkey Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing

Roasted Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Roasted Pear Gravy

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Calorie_Count

Running a Half Marathon Required to Burn off Thanksgiving Day Calories

So just how much running are you going to need to burn off your favorite Thanksgiving food? Generally, a 150-pound person running at an average pace will burn about 100 calories a mile. Here’s a breakdown of typical foods found on holiday menus and how long you’d have to run to burn them off.

Turkey – 6oz for 350 calories = 3.5 miles
Mashed Potatoes – ½ cup for 150 calories = 1.5 miles
Stuffing – ½ cup for 180 calories = 1.8 miles
Gravy – ½ cup for 180 calories = 1.8 miles
Cranberry Sauce – ½ cup for 190 calories = 1.9 miles
Rolls – 1 roll for 155 calories = 1.55 miles
Pumpkin Pie – 1 slice for 180 calories = 1.8 miles

You’ll need to run slightly more than a half marathon after Thanksgiving to burn off a standard meal, or 13.8 miles! In other words… yes, the workout is that important. If the stats are true that the average meal has us eating well above 3,000 calories, you’ll have to run further than a marathon to eat guilt free on Thursday.

This holiday is the biggest calorie bomb of the year, as Thanksgiving meals are known to be anywhere from 3,000 to 4,500 calories. While eating that much at one time is not recommended, it’s pretty much a given that there will be some over indulgence this Thursday. But, you don’t have to take these facts lying down, you could put on your running shoes and burn some serious calories and maybe some guilt, too. (more…)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Lacy

The Best Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Time to gather around the table with your family for Thanksgiving this week. Thanksgiving is the official start to the holiday season, which can leave you with extra pounds on your waistline by the time New Year rolls around. We want you to enjoy every part of Thursday, especially the food. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite side dishes that focus on whole, fresh ingredients that are satisfying but won’t weigh you down.

Italian Turkey Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing

Forget stuffing from a box. One of our reader’s sent us her stuffing recipe for a healthy makeover. The stuffing recipe is now lighter and fresher, swapping ingredients like Craisins for real cranberries. You, too, can enjoy our Italian Turkey Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing with reduced calories, fat, and sugar.

Pumpkin Hummus

Need a delicious and healthy holiday appetizer? Stay away from the cheese dips and try our Pumpkin Hummus! People usually have pumpkin in a dessert after dinner, but our pumpkin appetizer is healthier and delicious enough to kick off the day! (more…)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Samantha

3 New Mashed Potato Recipes Get Pimped for Thanksgiving

By Abra Pappa for Nutritious America

There is one serious food rule in my family: if my Grandpa asks you to pass the mashed potatoes do not serve yourself on the way over to him. He called that a “mashed potato short stop” and proclaimed if you “short stopped” in the Army the penalty was a scoop of mashed potatoes in your face.

My family takes mashed potatoes very seriously, and even though my Grandpa passed years ago we still uphold his “no mashed potato short stop” rule and have a deep respect for the honorable dish at our Thanksgiving table.

I made a dedication to embark on this makeover with an equally serious devotion. You can remake a mash, but you better be sure it is delicious and worthy of its own set of beloved table rules.

As far as I’m concerned if you start a vegetable mash with extremely fresh ingredients you will end up with something delicious. It seemed only logical then to begin this makeover with a trip to my local farmers market.

Off I went without specific recipes in mind. I allowed the seasonal bounty to inspire. I came home with veggie loot to brag about and knew I was well on my way to a delicious party of mashes.

What resulted were three thanksgiving table-worthy mashes: a twist on the traditional, a Paleo mash, and a whizz-bang-boom masterpiece! (more…)

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Nutritious_America

A Reader’s Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Gets a Healthy Makeover

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we are getting very excited about the upcoming holiday. Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart as I’ve always loved getting together with family and sharing a delicious meal, especially considering all the women in my family are amazing cooks. Think pies, turkey, stuffing and everything in between. Let’s just say I don’t leave hungry.

It seems everyone has their own special traditions when it comes to holiday gatherings and recipes are no exception. While passing down recipes such as your grandma’s signature “green marshmallow fluff” does hold sentimental value, more and more people are becoming conscious of their diets and desire real, whole foods instead of fake, processed ones. This is where recipe makeovers comes in. (more…)

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Dana

5-Week Holiday Survival Guide with $5000 in Prizes from The Best Life and DietsInReview

It’s as hard for us to believe as anyone else that “the holidays” officially kick off in just one week! We hope we aren’t the only ones already thinking about how to make this a healthful season where we spend more time giving thanks and less time feeling guilty.

We want to help ensure you have such a holiday season for yourself and your family. That’s why we’ve partnered with Bob Greene and team at The Best Life Diet for a five-week Holiday Survival Guide.

You’ll learn how to manage the craziest parts of the season – like overeating, stress, and fitting in a workout. If keeping you motivated weren’t enough, together we’re offering up more than $5,000 in prizes to help you end this year on a high note as you work on embracing all that lies ahead in 2024.

The Holiday Survival Guide kicks off on Tuesday, November 20 with a Twitter Party to get you in the spirit of this special event. Join us and the Best Life team for a one-hour event to introduce you to both of our social media teams, which will play an integral role in keeping participants motivated for five weeks.

TWITTER PARTY

Use #HolidayFit

Follow @TheBestLife and @DietsInReview

Start at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on Nov. 20

You can officially sign-up to join The Holiday Survival Guide on Monday, November 19 at TheBestLife.com. Then, you’ll receive five emails each week through December focused on a different element of managing the season in a healthful way. Plus, find Facebook and Twitter posts each day to keep you on track. (more…)

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Natalie K

Learn to Separate Thanksgiving the Meal From Thanksgiving the Holiday

Robby is a 30-year-old weight-loss/health-gain/rad-maintain fanatic in Washington, DC. You can find her at fatgirlvsworld.blogspot.com and @fatgirlvsworld on Twitter. In the “real world” you can find her being tortured by an elliptical or throwing punches in a boxing ring. She has two cats who use her as a trampoline in the middle of the night. She loves wine, hates umbrellas, and has never seen an episode of True Blood. She may or may not be a ninja.

I don’t even want to imagine how ludicrous it might have looked: everyone sitting around the Thanksgiving table trying not to say the wrong thing in front of my boyfriend or stare at him too long. Sure he was a little big, and a bit different than the rest of us, but he and I had been together for so many years and I had grown to love, cherish, and rely on him. But I can see things from my family’s perspective as well. Why did Robby bring her refrigerator to Thanksgiving?

Yep. I just said that. For years I had been in an exclusive, dependent, and toxic relationship with my refrigerator. I would come home from work and go straight to him. If work was bad, I’d find something inside that would comfort me. If work was good, I’d find something inside to celebrate. If work was neither bad nor good, I would still check in to see what was happening. Same thing when I was bored, excited, tired, stressed or even without any discernible emotion.

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Posted on November 23, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Canola Oil Moderately Improves Nutrition of a Deep Fried Turkey

Turkey Frying in a pot with thermometer Here at DietsInReview, we believe in thoroughly enjoying holiday meals. Many diet plans encourage having a splurge meal once every week, and Thanksgiving is the perfect moment to enjoy rich foods without counting calories. In general, this prevents people who want to lose weight from feeling deprived and helps them avoid ditching a healthy eating plan for the entire holiday season.

However, certain foods seem over-the-top, even for a day of indulgence, and the deep fried turkey is one of these. On one hand, without the skin, deep fried turkey is deceptively moist and doesn’t have a greasy taste. On the other hand, we know quite well how many calories frying anything will add. So, I consulted with Alison Lewis of Ingredients Inc.

“The amount of fat and calories for a deep fried turkey is higher than a regular turkey,” says Lewis. “Three and a half ounces of deep fried turkey has approximately 190 calories and 11 grams of fat. The same portion of a roasted turkey typically has 165 calories and 7 grams of fat.” Eating turkey without the skin will lower the calories even further. “If you eat your roasted turkey skinless, calories drop to only 150 calories and 3.5 grams of fat,” adds Lewis.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Margaret

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to Satisfy Diabetic Dieters

On Thanksgiving, some of us abandon our healthy diets for the day and give ourselves a free pass to indulge. Unfortunately, for the 25.8 million people in the United States with diabetes, a second helping of pie isn’t always an option. 

While Type 1 diabetes refers to insulin-dependent diabetes where the body does not produce insulin, the most common form of diabetes is Type 2, in which the body fails to use the insulin it produces. While some people manage their diabetes with medication or insulin injections, others can manage their diabetes with diet and exercise.

When you’re diabetic, whether you are trying to lose weight or manage the symptoms of your disease, you can still indulge on Thanksgiving with a few modifications.

At most Thanksgiving dinners, the turkey is the centerpiece of the meal and naturally high in protein and low in carbohydrates and sugar. If you’re cooking for a diabetic guest at your table this year, swap some of your favorite high-carb, sugar-laden appetizers, side dishes and desserts for healthier versions and see if anyone notices the difference.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Maris

Holidays Actually Create More Time to Workout

By Melisa Wells from Suburban Scrawl

I’ve been a group fitness instructor for nearly eight years now, and until recently it’s never been difficult for me to “find the time” to exercise. I get paid to teach classes on a schedule and although every class I teach doesn’t provide the best workout for me personally, it’s still scheduled time for me to move. A couple of years ago, I was up to teaching nine classes each week and I felt really great. Gradually though, due to the economy and changes in club scheduling, I started losing classes and now teach only one—a cycling class—each week.

Suddenly it became necessary for me to “find the time” to exercise. I have been taking Zumba classes and recently restarted Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred at home. I’m starting to feel good again, but Thanksgiving looms.

I have nothing against the holiday, really. Thanksgiving is full of family togetherness. Unfortunately, it’s also full of food, which seems to go without saying, but when you’re the type of person who is trying to get back into fighting shape, the thought of a food-focused holiday is a little stressful.

It’s okay though: I have a plan.

(more…)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Get the Most of Thanksgiving with Leftover Turkey Recipes

Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite holiday of the year. I mean, as a food person, how can I not love Thanksgiving, as the holiday’s primary focus is a huge meal chock full of tasty dishes.

When I say a huge meal, I mean huge. Even if the dinner itself turns out to be small, my family gobbles up all of those pre-Thanksgiving grocery store sales and cooks up mountains of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. However, cooking up so much food for Thanksgiving inevitably leaves us with lots of leftovers.

While reheated turkey leftovers are great, sometimes you need to be a little creative in order to use up all of those turkey leftovers. Here are my top 6 ideas for cooking with leftovers.

Soup

This is definitely a classic in my house, as nothing beats a good bowl of soup on a cold day. Simply dice up some leftover roast turkey and add it in instead of chicken in your favorite soups. Here are two great leftover turkey recipes for soup:

Posted on November 19, 2023 by GuestBlogger