French Canadian (Franco Americans) stuff the turkey with ground pork…If you want to try something different. Better than bread stuffing…

Commonsense to me; but what is Thankgiving dinner without gravy & stuffing? I think we all know by now how to eat right, but there is a lack of willpower on this particular day. When I wasn't a diabetic, I had no problem with eating a tablespoon of everything. Portion is still key even if you are a diabetic and how often you eat your tablespoon of food. For dessert I just prepare baked apples with fresh cranberries (no sugar or artificial sweetners). Cranberries are so health beneficial, but not with a ton of sugar so I don't cook or bake with those dried cranberries that are loaded with sugar. Fresh is always better. Sometimes I just put apples and cranberries in the hollow of a squash and bake it all together. I am not a cinnamon fan, but you could sprinkle some on if you do like it. My stuffing is made with various whole grain breads with alot of shaved carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, poultry seasoning & low fat/sodium chicken stock. Yes, you can thin gravy as you eat less carbs that way. There always is a lower calorie version of what you would make. A baked sweet potatoe is much better for you than a syrupy cannied version. Like I said, Common Sense. Hope everyone has a Healthy & Happy Thanksgiving.

Holidays are definitely a challenge with so many tempting foods and social pressure to eat more than we should. Despite our best intentions, we often end up on the other end feeling stuffed and guilty, and experiencing higher blood sugar than we had hoped.

There are a few reasons we don’t translate our intentions into actions.

First, our intentions are not specific enough. Rather than saying, I intend to eat better this Thanksgiving, try saying, I intend to eat a handful of protein, a handful of carbs, lots of vegetables, and a sliver of pie.

Second, our intentions are often not connected to action plans, or what psychologists sometimes call implementation intentions. Intentions are great, but without a plan for implementing them, they sometimes fall short. For example, we might say I intend to eat only one small piece of pie. The problem is that once that piece of pie is gone, and we are sitting around the table, we may be tempted to have another piece. To avoid this, consider the following implementation intention: When I am done with my pie, I will take my pie plate to the kitchen sink and start doing the dishes.

Third, we underestimate the power of the situation to influence our behavior. From the size of our dinner plate to social pressure around the table, our environment influences us to eat more than we should, especially the bad stuff. Consider using a smaller plate, and anticipate social pressures that encourage you to overindulge. For example, using the implementation intention idea: When my friends and family suggest I have another piece of pie, I will say, thank you. The pie was delicious, and I feel very satisfied now. Eating another piece would just spoil my satisfaction.

Finally, our behavior is often driven by well ingrained habits, and those habits unfortunately often work against our best intentions. In one recent study, psychologists found that people snacked more with their dominant hand than their non-dominant hand. To avoid this, consider eating Thanksgiving dinner with your non-dominant hand. In fact, you might encourage everyone at the table to do this as a sort of game.

I’m sure there are more reasons we don’t always follow our intentions to eat well during the holidays, but these are a start. I hope you find them helpful and walk away from Thanksgiving feeling satisfied, empowered, and proud of yourselves.

This was a great article because it makes me feel normal. LOL. Actually the wait for desert is something we have always done. Usually because we are too full to eat it until later, but the idea of the sample desert plate sounds great and also eating some turkey before or after your desert to have the protein balance out the carbs is a GREAT idea.

Skip the mashed potatoes & eat sweet potatoes, (less carbs)

Thank you for this article. Because I do most of the cooking for the Holidays, I am concerned about radically changing my recipes, for this year anyways. I think this year I will make my usuals, eat sensibly then tweek them throughout the following year, in time for next season.