The week after Thanksgiving; meal considerations

So many of us have much to be thankful for. It was a pleasure to see, hear and read of gatherings among families and friends, and see the outreach for those less fortunate. We have food-a-plenty in the United States.

While consuming the traditional turkey meal, I was reminded of how healthy Thanksgiving dinner can be. Turkey is a lean meat, best to avoid the skin. The darker meat has more iron, an important mineral for humans. Sweet potatoes are nutrient rich, particularly without marshmallows (who started adding marshmallows to sweet potatoes anyway? If you know, please share). There is usually a fresh vegetable - green beans or brussel sprouts - and these are fiber-rich and calorie-low. Mashed potatoes are a fundamental American food - most of us tip the scale into the unhealthy range with what we put on the potato; it's not the potato. Dressing or stuffing is bread - it's better to choose dressing/stuffing or a dinner roll in the big scheme of things. As for me, I will always choose stuffing. Let’s keep this in mind as we move into the next holiday season.

Where we get excess calories (which becomes fat on our body) is from eating beyond our hunger level and smothering our nutritious foods in saturated fat. We can break up the meal – have dessert a few hours after dinner, after watching football or taking a walk. Doing dishes burns calories.

I also noted that the traditional Thanksgiving meal is not abundant in omega-3 fats. We are meant to eat a variety of foods. Omega-3 is a healthy fat, and one that can balance the consumption of the less-healthy fats we all enjoy on holiday time.