Thanksgiving is an annual holiday where families gather together to give thanks. While it is a holiday meant to celebrate family and friends and show appreciation for those in our lives, the primary focus is on the Thanksgiving meal. The meal consists of hearty portions of turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pies; just tons and tons of food often accompanied with alcohol. Although these foods are delicious and a large part of the thanksgiving celebration, eating and drinking to excess can be dangerous to one’s health. Big meals like thanksgiving, where the average plate is around 3000 calories, can not only add onto existing issues such as high cholesterol and heart disease, but they increase risk for heart attacks and gallbladder pain. Also, the combination of heavy portions and alcohol can impair you for the drive home by increasing drowsiness, and in cases of high alcohol consumption it can strongly impair your judgment and the motor functions necessary to drive. But Thanksgiving dinner does not have to be a meal full of poor health choices. One of the keys to having an enjoyable and healthy Thanksgiving meal is to practice portion control. This means cutting down on the amount you eat, because the main health issue with Thanksgiving is over-eating and over-drinking. You are more likely to be successful at portion control if you do not go to Thanksgiving dinner hungry and if you exercise at some point during the day. Also, if you happen to be the cook, make it a lighter Thanksgiving meal: substitute certain fattier options for some fat free options and cook more vegetables and healthier dishes instead of large amounts of unhealthy, high-fat dishes. United Way of Southeast Delaware County wants you to have a happy, as well as a healthy, Thanksgiving. This holiday is about giving thanks for everyone and everything, and that includes everyone’s happiness and health.
Below are some resources to help make your Thanksgiving healthy:
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