Dietician offers tips for staying healthy during Thanksgiving

If you eat healthier this Thanksgiving, you will be thankful for it.

In fact, making just a few changes to your eating habits can help you keep from putting on unwanted pounds during the holiday season.

"I would never encourage people to skip tradition, but we can try to make traditional foods healthier," said Bethany Wheeling, a registered clinical dietician for Columbus Regional Health.

Using fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey is one suggestion Wheeling gave.

How about substituting mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes?

"You can have green beans instead of green bean casserole," Wheeling said.

That dip you love to make, Wheeling said, can be made with yogurt or fat-free sour cream and it will still be a favorite.

The dietician said using vegetable oil rather than butter whenever possible is a healthy idea, as is using spices and herbs for flavoring.

She suggested that instead of using white flour when baking, use whole wheat flour or a mixture of the two and using two egg whites instead of one egg.

"When you have eggnog, mix some skim milk with it," she said.

Wheeling said when making dressing, more celery and less bread is the wise way to go.

Holidays are about desserts, and Wheeling said pie without crust is a way to cut back on fat.

Eating healthy is about more than food preparation. It is about consumption.

Wheeling said you can love eating your turkey but advises not to eat the skin.

"It's full of fat, that bad saturated fat," she said.

By the way, white meat has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat.

Three ounces of meat is a healthy serving, Wheeling said.

How you eat before the main meal matters.

"There are ways to keep from eating too much of the Thanksgiving meal. Don't skip breakfast, and during the day, snack on high fiber items such as fruit and almonds. Drink a lot of water. That way you won't be starving when the meal is served," she said.

Wheeling said that when in a food line, assess what is being offered. See your options and choose which items you can skip, rather than taking some of everything. Portions should be small.

"Remember, you will probably have more to eat the next day," she said.

She suggested filling half the plate with vegetables. A quarter of it will have the meat and a quarter will have the starch. Eating the vegetables first will keep you from eating too much of the other items.

"Eat slowly so you don't overeat. Your brain takes about 20 minutes to let your stomach know it is full," Wheeling said.

Also, do not linger at the dinner table following the meal.

"If you sit there, trust me, you will continue eating," she said.

When it comes to sweets, she suggests taking one piece and sharing it with someone else.

Wheeling said instead of sitting, you might go for a walk. Family members taking a walk together can be healthy fun.

Alcoholic drinks are fattening. Wheeling said if you are going to drink alcohol, you should, perhaps, have a glass of sparkling water between drinks rather than one alcoholic drink after another. With a mixed drink, use fruit instead of syrup.

She said if you are going to bring a dish to a dinner or party, bring something healthy.

"Make it something you like a lot," she said.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Dietician offers tips for staying healthy during Thanksgiving ."