It has been asked a few times this week already, so I figured it’s easier just to write a whole survival guide. We’re going to take a look at a traditional thanksgiving meal and then offer a healthier alternative. And just for fun we will look at how many miles you would have to run to off-set the meal!
Traditional Meal
Here’s just quick sampling of what I would normally put on my plate, we’re all different, but I took some of the staples.
| Food | CHO | Protein | Total Fat | Sat Fat |
| Turkey (6oz) | 15g | 40g | 20g | 5g |
| Mashed Potatoes (6oz) | 30g | 7.8g | 8.2g | 5g |
| Gravy (3oz) | 2g | 5g | 5g | 2.5g |
| Stuffing (1cup) | 23.2g | 12.8g | 31.5g | 10.8g |
| Pumpkin Pie (1/12 pie) | 67.3g | 7.8g | 24.7g | 10.2g |
| Total Calories: 1648 | 137.5g | 73.4g | 89.4g | 23.5g |
Yikes, 1650 calories with over 52% coming from fat and a quarter of that fat coming from bad fat. Now keep in mind this is just one serving, I don’t know too many people who can say no to seconds. Now keep in mind this doesn’t include alcohol and every ounce of alcohol has 68 calories, so just 2 glasses of wine would push the total calories to 1920 calories in just one sitting.
Healthier Choice
Click the link to get the recipe. Be sure to leave comments, would love to hear what you think of the recipes.
| Food | CHO | Protein | Total Fat | Sat Fat |
| Turkey (6oz) | 15g | 40g | 20g | 5g |
| Mashed Potatoes (6oz) | 41.3g | 2.7g | 0.4g | 0.1g |
| Gravy (3oz) | 37.4g | 8g | 0.3g | 0.05g |
| Stuffing (1cup) | 21.8g | 6.5g | 2.7g | 0.6g |
| Pumpkin Pie (1/12 pie) | 34g | 5g | 2g | 0g |
| Total Calories: 1075.4 | 149.5g | 62.2g | 25.4g | 11.5g |
Look at that! We dropped the calories 34% without even changing the turkey (a thanksgiving staple). Take a closer look at the fat, the healthier choice is 28% of the fat compared to the traditional meal. Now you can have a guilt free thanksgiving, and not even worry to much about seconds,
Calories equivalents
| Meal | Miles to run | Mins of Circuits | Mins Swimming | Mins Skipping Rope |
| Traditional Meal | 12.2 | 170 | 172 | 132 |
| Healthier Meal | 8.0 | 100 | 112 | 86 |
These numbers are just estimates for a 180lb male, but it still give you a really good idea of just how much work it can take to burn off a big meal. So make life easier for yourself and try some healthier choices!