A registered dietitian and professional chef, Cheryl Forberg is the nutritionist for the NBC reality series The Biggest Loser and an advisor for Prevention magazine. She has written or contributed to nine books, including Stop the Clock! Cooking, The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, and The Biggest Loser: The Weight Loss Program, and the recently published Positively Ageless. She is also a recipient of the prestigious James Beard award for healthy recipe development. To learn more about Cheryl and her work, visit her Web site at www.cherylforberg.com.

Cheryl Forberg--

Who says Thanksgiving dinner isn’t healthy? The staple ingredients of this holiday’s comfort food have redeeming healthful properties that make this meal extra scrumptious. Adding a little culinary know-how to traditional recipes can transform this food fest into a guilt-free feast.

The first rule of thumb for holiday gatherings is never go to the party hungry. Maintain your normal daily routine starting with breakfast and a workout. Have a snack before you go — a half a sandwich, yogurt and fruit or a glass of milk.

If there’s a buffet, try to remember that most of your choices should be whole grains, fruits and vegetables; the remaining third can be lean meats. Fill up on veggies that aren’t drenched in butter or sauce.

If it’s impossible to resist trying everything on the table, make sure you take very small “tastes” of high-calorie dishes. If you’re trying to watch your weight, remember that this is just one day, so it’s OK to indulge yourself a little. Many people, however, begin a downward spiral over the holidays beginning with Thanksgiving. One day of temptation leads to another and soon they’ve spiraled out of control. Don’t let that happen to you. If Thanksgiving finds you being a little too indulgent, begin Friday by eating a little less, exercising more, or both.

The healthier flavors of Thanksgiving:
Cranberries: The sweet side of a puckery cranberry is its high-powered nutrition profile. An excellent source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C, it’s also packed with powerful compounds that kick up the immune system and slow the aging process. They freeze well, so stock up and put a few pounds in the freezer.

Sweet potatoes: Why disguise this veggie’s naturally delicate flavor with gooey marshmallows or a brown sugar glaze? This year try roasting peeled sweet potatoes cubes in a hot oven with a little olive oil and your favorite herbs (such as rosemary or oregano).

Not to be confused with the yam, sweet potatoes possess a higher degree of moisture and sweetness. And they’re higher in nutritional oomph with a slew of antioxidant vitamins. Sweet potatoes should not be refrigerated. Store in a cool dry place between 55 and 65 F.

Turkey: Turkey is low in fat and high in protein, Use a rack to roast your turkey so the fat drips away. Baste your bird with fat-free broth, instead of butter.

• If you’re trying to shave off calories and fat, choose a turkey breast roast this year instead of the whole bird.
• Be sure to have a gravy separator on hand. This indispensable tool quickly skims excess fat from your pan drippings.

Stuffing/dressing: Whole grains deserve a place on your holiday table. Skip the tired old white bread stuffing and whip up a savory batch of cornbread croutons for a memorable holiday dressing peppered with chunks of spicy low fat turkey sausage and dried fruit.

• If you’re using broth for stuffing or gravy, be sure to choose fat-free.
• If the stuffing calls for sautéed veggies such as celery, onions and mushrooms, use a nonstick pan to minimize the amount of oil required to cook them.
• If you bake your stuffing outside of the bird, it’s called dressing. This also means that no juice (or fat) from the baking turkey is absorbed, resulting in a drastic calorie reduction. The right combination of ingredients can result in a dressing that is just as delicious and moist when baked outside the bird.

Pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie: Make pumpkin (or sweet potato) pies with canned, evaporated, skimmed milk. It’s more concentrated — rich and creamy with lower calories and fat than regular evaporated milk

• Try to decrease the amount of sweetener in your favorite recipe by about 25 percent. And try using agave nectar as your sweetener. Unlike sugar, it’s loaded with antioxidants. Yes, it has calories, similar to those of honey, but it’s natural — not artificial or chemically processed. Sometimes kicking up the sweet spices a notch, e.g., cinnamon, cloves, ginger, helps to stretch the flavor so the lesser amount of sweetener isn’t as noticeable.
• Substitute most or all of the whole eggs with egg whites.
• Eat just the filling of the finished pie and skip the high fat crust. Or, bake the filling in a springform pan without any crust at all.
• Try a different pumpkin dessert this year and start a new family tradition. Below is a recipe for Sweet Pumpkin Polenta from Positively Ageless.
  

Miscellaneous tips: Season vegetables with fresh herbs and low sodium seasonings — skip the butter.

There’s plenty of starch at this meal — why not skip the dinner rolls altogether? If that’s not an option, be sure to choose whole grain rolls.

Happy Holidays and happy cooking!

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