Chillax: Your Healthy Thanksgiving Guide is Here!

My grocery store is fully stocked with all the fixings to take your Thanksgiving down a notch.

People agonize every year about how much they're going to eat on Thanksgiving, and I don't know why they're all freaking out. Thanksgiving can be a perfectly healthy holiday!

Turkey? Excellent protein!
Sweet potatoes? Vitamins B, C, and D!
Cranberries? Filled with antioxidants!
Pumpkin? Tons of fiber!
Even stuffing could be healthified if you make it yourself and go easy on the serving size.

Read more about the health benefits of turkey.

So there you have it. Thanksgiving is healthy. Our work here is done!

Oh, except for one pesky little detail: the other ingredients sharing casserole dish space with all that healthy food, right? Yeah...the butter...and the sugar....and the cream of mushroom soup....and the sugar.... Yeah, I'm looking at you, holding that bag of mini marshmallows behind your back!

Thanksgiving food starts out as really good stuff, but then we go and make it all gooey and bad for us by adding a bunch of fat and sugar. And you know, if you usually eat super healthy, go get some exercise that morning, and watch the portions, one day of fat and sugar is not going to do that much damage. But, if you're like me and enjoy having even "special" food in a healthy way, read on for ways to lighten up your Thanksgiving Day.

Healthy Thanksgiving Tips and Recipes

Having a healthy Thanksgiving just requires three things:

1. A plan. Sit down and learn about the food you will likely face. Look for potential obstacles. Profile the feeders. Be prepared and go into the day with a vision of how you want it to END!

2. A good dose of endorphins! Almost every community these days has a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, ranging from the 1-mile fun run to a 15k race. Not only do these events provide a great workout, but you can usually also contribute to your community in a meaningful way through food drives and other outreach efforts. And that's healthy, too!

3. The right attitude. Go into the day expecting a calorie coma and that is what you will achieve! But, if you expect to make good decisions and can visualize yourself doing so, your chances for success are high.

Get out there and get healthy this Thanksgiving! You can do it, and you will be glad you did.