Thanksgiving Dinner

DO NOT PANIC!

Thanksgiving is just like any other day, we eat, drink, spend time with friends & family and enjoy and be thankful for the life we have. There just happens to be some specific food items that are associated with this particular holiday - foods that tend to make people nervous! The key is to relax and go in with a plan.

Just accept that the meal will be larger than normal, but this happens once a year so get over it, but don't throw it out the window either.

1) Take more turkey than you are used to taking.

Aim for about 5-6 oz of turkey (about 2 decks of playing cards). Turkey is a great source of protein that will help keep you full and promote stable blood sugar levels throughout the day.

2) Make sure there is a Non-Starchy Veggie on the table and on YOUR plate.

Most Thanksgiving tables have no garden veggies to be found! (Unless its a green bean casserole full of cream-of-mushroom soup and fried onions). Bring a brussels sprouts dish or even a green salad this year, and fill about 1/2 your plate with it. Yep, half.

3) Choose your Carbohydrates Carefully.

The issue with Thanksgiving dinner is the amount of carbohydrates present. You have the stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, cranberry sauce, alcohol, pies, crackers, rolls, etc, etc, etc.

**Plan for 300-400 calories of your meal to come from your carbohydrate choices.**

Think about what you really want to spend those calories on, and avoid the things you can have anytime (like the rolls or regular corn).

1/2 cup of Traditional Stuffing: 120 calories

1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes: 150 calories

1/2 cup Sweet Potato (plain): 100 calories

1 Dinner Roll (tennis ball size): 130 calories

1/4 cup Cranberry Sauce: 110 calories

1 slice Pumpkin Pie (small slice): 230 calories

1 slice Pecan Pie (small slice): 450 calories

5 oz Red or White Wine: 100-130 calories

1 cup Egg Nog: 350 calories

1 cup Hot Buttered Rum: 300 calories

So choose wisely, enjoy your meal and time with friends and family and be thankful for the ups and downs that you are given in life. Its all for a purpose.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Unbearable Lightness

Portia di Rossi aka Portia deGeneres has written an autobiography titled "Unbearable Lightness" which touches on her struggle with anorexia and bulimia as well as her sexuality. The book was released to the public on November 1st 2010, and I bought and finished it that week.

The book is an open and honest account of her daily struggles with shame, drive and the insanity that comes with obsessing about body weight and living for other people.

As an eating disorder specialist it is interesting to hear different accounts of how people cope with the illness of anorexia, bulimia or body dysmorphic disorder. Reading this book was like hearing the account of any number of patients in my office - the stories are all so similar, but from the inside, each person feels as if he or she is the only one that feels this way or thinks this way or acts this way. Some are ashamed of those thoughts and behaviors and some are proud of them. That's the bizarre world of an eating disorder.

She does reveal numbers, which some in recovery choose not to do, since those who are active in their disorders tend to use those numbers as a goal or a new record to beat. She reveals things like her highest and lowest weight, number of calories consumed in a typical restrictive day and number of times she binges, purges and hours spent at the gym. Obviously if you see these numbers as a personal challenge...you my friend, belong in my office.

Its a must read for anyone who struggles with body image, anyone who has a child and anyone who is active in their own disorder.

A+ Rating from this ED dietitian!

Pick it up from itunes or ibooks or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Unbearable-Lightness-Story-Loss-Gain/dp/1439177783/ref=pd_nr_b_16?ie=UTF8&s=books

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