Thanksgiving is right around the corner! And, with this exciting holiday comes tons of delicious food and quality time with family and friends.
However, this holiday, we don’t want you to feel guilty about the foods you eat! There are ways to still enjoy your typical Thanksgiving feast without feeling overstuffed and regretful afterwards!
Here are a few tips to making Thanksgiving, from the recipes to the overall holiday, a bit healthier.
1. Cut Back on the Sugar and Butter
Cutting back on your sugar and butter intake will single handedly make your Thanksgiving healthier! You’ll also consume much less calories. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the amount of sugar and butter added to recipes without significantly compromising the taste. Start by trying to add less sugar to your dishes and more alternatives, like honey, date sugar, or coconut sugar. To cut back on the butter, try to halve the butter in every recipe, if possible, like in your mashed potatoes or casseroles. Then, set out a stick of butter so that you or your guests can add butter, if necessary.
2. Cut Back on the Salt
Too much sodium is never a good thing. It can lead to several negative consequences, like bloating and increased blood pressure. So, though salt is pretty tasty, try to dial back on the salt usage and compensate with lots of fresh or dried herbs and veggies.
3. Substitute Heavy Cream With Whole or Low-Fat Milk
Plenty of Thanksgiving dishes usually require heavy cream, like casseroles, mashed potatoes, and desserts. However, a simple way to reduce your calorie and fat intake is to substitute the heavy cream with whole milk, low-fat milk, or evaporated milk. For a non-dairy alternative, you could also use soy milk. The dish will have nearly half the amount of calories and you’ll barely notice a difference.
4. Use Fresh Produce Over Canned Ingredients
Rather than using canned ingredients, like sweet potatoes or pineapples, opt for fresh ingredients instead. Canned ingredients usually contain preservatives or refined sugars that are very harmful to your health. Some preservatives can even transform into cancer-causing agents once they interact with stomach and gastric acids. So, it’s best to stick with organic, fresh produce, since they don’t contain harmful preservatives, GMOs, or other unnecessary additives.
5. Serve Whole Grain Rolls Instead of White Rolls
Instead of serving your typical white bread, go for the whole grain options instead! White refined grains definitely aren’t your friend; however, whole grains are very heart-healthy and are a great source of fiber. There are plenty of pre-baked whole grain rolls in the frozen food section that, once heated up in the oven for a few minutes, are just as tasty as white rolls!
6. Be Sure to Eat Breakfast
Though it’s common practice to “save up” your appetite until Thanksgiving dinner, this actually isn’t healthy, as it leads to overeating later on. On the other hand, eating a small breakfast allows you to control your appetite more efficiently later. Your breakfast doesn’t have to be anything major, just something small, like eggs and some whole-wheat toast.
7. Limit Your Portions
It’s tempting to eat much more than usual when all of the delicious Thanksgiving food is laid out extravagantly before you! But, before you go to make your plate, decide in advance what you’re going to eat and designate reasonably sized portions to stick to. If you’re unsure of how to properly portion out your food, use the palm of your hand for reference, or start with a half of what you’d normally get.
8. Eat Slowly
Eating slowly gives your body the chance to recognize when it’s full, meaning you eat less and feel much more satisfied rather than stuffed. So, try to put your fork down between each bite and really savor the food. Don’t just inhale everything in a few bites! Try to also wait at least 15 minutes before going back for seconds.
9. Drink Lots of Water
Don’t cut back on your water intake during the holidays! Everyone knows that water is of utmost importance. However, water is also important to combat the negative effects of too much sodium and sugar. It also adds to the feeling of fullness, which will help you avoid overeating. So, while you wait to go back for seconds, try to drink a glass of water, too!
10. Season Your Thanksgiving Dishes With Our Aloha Pepper
One of the easiest ways to not only add a delicious, peppery taste to your Thanksgiving dishes, but also improve your health is by using our Aloha Pepper seasoning. Made from dried papaya seeds, our product contains lots of antioxidants, boosts your gut health and kidney health, helps you fight against infections, and lots more. So, it’s added to your Thanksgiving dishes, you receive all of these health benefits with every bite AND, because of its delicious flavor, you’ll be able to cut back on the salt even more. It’s the perfect way to easily make Thanksgiving healthier!
Order your Aloha Pepper seasoning today, or contact us with any questions!
