Thankful for the turkey, but not the excess

By: Ashley Ann Mentley

According to a recent report, the average Canadian eats almost twice their recommended daily amount of calories and three times the fat in just one traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Health Canada says the average male aged 19-30 should consume around 2,700 calories and 80 grams of fat in one day.  A report conducted by the Calorie Control Council found that at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, the average person “may consume more than 4,500 calories and a whopping 229 grams of fat from snacking and eating a traditional holiday dinner with turkey and all the fixings.”

Sara Grivas, 45, is a nutritionist in Livonia, Michigan.  She said tradition is one of the main reasons we overeat around the holidays.

“People connect food with family, love and childhood memories and they will often want to recreate those moments,” Grivas said.

Grivas also said what is unhealthy is not only the amount of food we eat, but also the types of food, the way the food is prepared and the amount of alcohol we drink, which in turn lowers our inhibitions and leads us to continue eating.

Former Petty Officer first class, Jeff Marcinkowski, of the U.S. Coastguard, is now a health food and lifestyle advocate.  He said he believes it is commercials and the media that cause people to overeat around the holidays and such a routine can have a negative effect on a person’s mental state.

“Commercials and media get us geared up for the feast,” he said. But binging and overeating “may tend to push people into a slight depression because of the mind play which goes on with the individual. So the depression swing occurs: re-commitment to healthier life style happens, the individual gets more focused and lives healthy until the next binge which could be worse and the cycle intensifies.”

There are always healthier options to consider around the holidays, though as Grivas pointed out, the tradition of “breaking bread together” is an old and difficult one to change.  She suggested things such as going gluten free, choosing low-fat foods and eliminating processed foods.

“Oils, butters, cream, gravies – all these things can be substituted or eliminated for healthier options without jeopardizing taste,” she said.

Marcinkowski said the best way to enjoy a healthier holiday meal is to have an all-around healthier lifestyle.

“We can always establish new traditions over the holidays,” Marcinkowski said. “But the best way to do this is to eat healthier all the time. When you eat healthy on a regular basis and others know you do, it becomes easier to stay in the healthy mode.”

With holiday dinner parties, another cold winter and comfort food just around the corner, Grivas said Canadians can make small changes such as drinking more water and less alcohol, limiting the amount of snacks before dinner and trading in traditional dishes for low fat ones can help keep the holidays healthy.