Healthy Thanksgiving Shopping Needs Planning

Stretchy waist bands during holiday feasts might be the norm, but a New York dietitian says there are ways to make your Thanksgiving meal a bit healthier -- and it begins with shopping for the right ingredients.

There’s a difference between feeling full from eating a healthy meal, and gouging on the wrong foods, which add unwanted calories with little nutritional value.

“When shopping for your holiday meals, be sure to incorporate lots of vegetables in a variety of colors, this will provide your body with good vitamins and minerals,” says Victoria Ott, Registered Dietitian & Certified Diabetes Educator for the North Shore-LIJ Health System.

Some tips for eating healthy during the holidays include:

· Not being hungry when you sit at the dinner table, which can lead to poor choices;

· Using your plate as a guide, filing half with a variety of vegetables, one quarter with whole grains and one quarter with proteins;

• Go slow when sitting at the dinner table and don’t feel obligated to eat everything on your plate.

“Try to avoid casseroles with heavy creams, large amounts of butter, and gravies. Instead, look up recipes that use fruit or vegetable purees to replace the gravy,” she said.

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