The holidays are in full swing, and it is time to start prepping your Thanksgiving menu. With the kids out of school, the to-do list seems endless. There never seems to be enough time in the day to prepare for holidays. At Woman’s Foundation Inc, we understand that keeping Thanksgiving dinner healthy for the family can be difficult.
Here are some healthy Thanksgiving tips to get the entire family involved this year. Gobble Gobble!
Tip #1 – Carve out time for physical activity.
It’s a no-brainer. Thanksgiving usually consists of lounging around and watching the Thanksgiving football special. It is important to arrange time in the morning or afternoon for a family fun game of flag football, soccer, or any team oriented sport. Go for a walk in the neighborhood park to feed the ducks or ride bicycles as a family. A little physical activity during the day can get your hearts’ pumping and energize you for the day. This is an easy way for the family to make memories, while adding some physical activity for a healthier holiday!
Tip #2 – Start the day with a healthy breakfast.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Begin the day with eggs, Greek yogurt, a fruit smoothie, or oatmeal. These super foods can help prevent overeating throughout the day. This will give you enough energy to kick start the family game of flag football, and most importantly give you healthy nutrients for your body.
Tip #3 – Eat Healthy Snacks
In addition to eating a healthy breakfast, provide healthy snack options such as: fruits, nuts, popcorn, or cheese for the family to snack on throughout the day as they wait for the turkey to finish. This will also help prevent overindulging on the delicious Thanksgiving dinner. You wouldn’t want to fall into a food coma and miss out the early Black Friday sales!
Tip #4 – Make Multiple Veggie Dishes and Control Portions for Dinner
Thanksgiving dinner can be the perfect learning opportunity to help your family understand portion sizes. Find new and fun holiday recipes then ask the kids to help. Try dishes with different kinds of vegetables and encourage them to fill half their plates with vegetables. Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without turkey, therefore fill the other half of the plate with protein and starches.
Tip #5 – Get Everyone Involved in Clean Up
Ask the entire family to help with clean up! This gives everyone the chance to stand up, move around, and keep themselves out of the infamous food coma that we are all familiar with. Have the kids help with gathering, packing up leftovers, and putting the dishes away. This light activity will help fight fatigue after dinner!
For more tips on how to keep your kids active and make better health choices, sign your kids up for our Kids On The Geaux program at https://womansfoundation.com/kids-on-the-geaux/.
Our next Kids on the Geaux program is on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 10:00 a.m and spots are limited! You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.
