The original celebrants sure knew how to put on a meal. Roast fowl, squash, corn, berries ... the first Thanksgiving meal was truly worthy of thanks. The annual feast has evolved over the last 350 years, and not necessarily for the better. Modern tastes and customs have turned a healthy, delicious meal into a nutritional nightmare.

This Thanksgiving, why not celebrate in the original spirit of the holiday? The Pilgrims didn't need deep-fat friers, sticks of butter, or bags of marshmallows, and neither do we.

When properly prepared, the staples of a Thanksgiving meal are a nutritionist's dream. A moist slice of roast turkey is loaded with protein but low in fat. Mashed potatoes are a delicious source of vitamins and carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes, squash, and pumpkin are full of carotenoids, antioxidants that help protect the body from heart disease and cancer; in addition, sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin E. A study by researchers at the University of Scranton found that another traditional food -- the cranberry -- has more antioxidants than any other common fruit. They're also packed with cancer-fighting ellagic acid and a potent cancer-fighting compound known as EGCG.

The trouble comes when we try to improve on a good thing. We mash our potatoes with whole milk and butter, load our turkey with butter-rich stuffing, and drown it all with fatty gravy. We overwhelm the natural flavors of sweet potatoes with butter and marshmallows and turn the humble pumpkin into a pie that comes to the table slathered in whipped cream.

Here are some tips for enjoying the bounty of Thanksgiving without blowing out your budget for fat and calories:

•When whipping up mashed potatoes, use chicken broth instead of butter, milk, or cream. You can boost the flavor even more by adding garlic and basil or other fresh herbs -- and leave the skins on.

•Squash and sweet potatoes don't have to swim in butter and sugar. Try baking sweet potatoes in orange juice and sweetening your squash with apple juice or fruit preserves. A little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg will be a perfect topping.

•Substitute a low-fat margarine for butter or leave it out entirely when making stuffing. The bread or rice in stuffing usually absorbs juices from the bird anyway.

•Season vegetables with a little olive oil and fresh herbs such as dill, basil, and oregano.

•Avoid portion distortion. Even the healthiest holiday fare can turn against you if you go back for thirds and fourths. Have a small snack -- try crisp fresh veggies or an autumn apple -- a few hours before the meal so you don't feel famished when you sit down. If eating a lot more than usual is part of your Thanksgiving tradition, make sure the other meals of the day are low in fat and calories.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the good things in life. While giving thanks for your family and your health, why not honor them both with a delicious, nutritious dinner? We've come a long way since Plymouth Rock, but you have to give us credit: We can still put on a meal to be thankful for.

-- Chris Woolston, MS, is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was a staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. His reporting on occupational health for CHI earned him an award from the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

References

Last updated August 25, 2009
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive

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