Thanksgiving can be healthy celebration

Eat slowly, savor each bite

By Jim Steinberg
San Bernardino County Sun

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The holiday season can be a difficult time for those trying to maintain a healthy diet.

Registered dietitians recommend portion control as the key to keeping Thanksgiving Day from turning into a weight-gaining carbfest.

"I tell my patients to eat things they can only get once a year," said Dana Juarez, a registered dietitian at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana.

The turkey is not the problem. A 4-ounce serving of white meat turkey is 158 calories without the skin. But remember, 4 ounces is just a little bigger than a deck of cards, Juarez said.

Four ounces of dark meat with skin is 206 calories, she said.

Pass up the dinner rolls. Instead, enjoy the stuffing, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole, Juarez said.

Also, plan some activity, even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood, she said.

Substitute high-calorie ingredients for reduced calorie ones, said Rachel Flores, a registered dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Upland's San Antonio Community Hospital.

Echoing that theme, Sara Clauson, outpatient dietitian at Pasadena's Huntington Hospital, said in the case of mashed potatoes, substitute nonfat milk and sour cream instead of cream. Add garlic for flavoring.

"For a lot of us, Thanksgiving is treated like it's our last meal on earth. Eat slowly to the point of comfortable fullness," she said.

Remember, there's a 20-minute lag time between when we eat and when the brain feels fullness, she said.

"People still have a lot of questions about cooking their turkeys," Flores said.

"I don't brine my turkey ... because many people in my family are supposed to be on low-sodium diets, and brining can increase the sodium content of turkey up to 8 percent," she said.