This text initially appeared within the Tufts Well being & Vitamin Letter, a month-to-month publication of the Friedman Faculty of Vitamin Science and Coverage. Discover extra professional steerage on wholesome cooking, consuming, and residing here.
The feast that formally kicks off the vacation season is right here. Thanksgiving is steeped within the consolation and familiarity of conventional meals — turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce —in addition to just a few time-worn misconceptions. If you happen to blame the turkey in your after-dinner snooze or really feel you’ve ruined your nutritious diet by splurging on pumpkin pie, it’s time to set issues straight. We’re taking up — and debunking — 5 Thanksgiving feast un-truths.
1. Turkey makes you sleepy: Probably not.
Turkey accommodates tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the physique produce serotonin, which is concerned in regulating sleep cycles. However many protein-rich meals, together with hen, fish, soybeans, and a few cheeses, comprise as a lot or extra tryptophan by weight than turkey, but don’t have the identical repute for inducing sleepiness.
Publish-meal malaise is extra possible resulting from different components. The excessive consumption of quickly digested carbohydrates (e.g., white potatoes, stuffing, sugary desserts) at most Thanksgiving meals will increase blood sugar rapidly. The most important enhance in insulin launched to handle that blood sugar could cause an overcorrection, resulting in low blood sugar ranges and tiredness.
Our over-full plates might additionally contribute to post-feast fatigue. The physique diverts blood away from different components of the physique to the digestive tract, which may depart us feeling low vitality. Let’s not overlook the sleep-inducing results of alcoholic drinks or the exhaustion introduced on by getting ready the feast and the stress concerned in entertaining visitors.
Do that: To forestall a stupor attributable to overindulgence, don’t go into the Thanksgiving meal overly hungry. Eat small parts of white potatoes, stuffing, sweetened cranberry sauce, and different sugary treats — and put these carbs to process with an energizing submit meal stroll as an alternative of a nap.
2. Canned pumpkin will not be as nutritious as contemporary: They’re fairly equal.
Whether or not contemporary or canned, you actually can’t go improper with this flavorful and nutrient-dense winter squash. A single half-cup serving of both contemporary or canned pumpkin packs greater than one hundred pc of the really helpful every day worth of vitamin A and is an efficient supply of a number of different nutritional vitamins and minerals, together with fiber, vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Select one hundred pc pumpkin, not cans of pumpkin pie combine, which comprise a number of added sugar, salt, and spices. Utilizing canned pumpkin purée saves time, vitality, and even cash and may assist enhance consumption of this nutritious meals. One particular perk to utilizing contemporary pumpkin is the pumpkin seeds, which may be roasted and utilized in numerous dishes. Remember that the flavour of contemporary pumpkin may be barely completely different than canned, relying on the kind of pumpkin used.
Do that: Use one hundred pc pumpkin purée in muffins, pancakes, and savory dishes like soups, in a single day oats, casseroles, and pasta sauce. Strive making do-it-yourself pumpkin pie style a bit extra like pumpkin and rather less like sugar.
3. Cranberry sauce is nice for well being: Not with all that added sugar
For a lot of, a Thanksgiving meal will not be full with out cranberry sauce. This celebrated staple may appear to be among the many healthiest dishes on the desk. It may very well be — if it weren’t for all of the added sugar. Entire cranberries, contemporary or frozen, are naturally low in sugar, nevertheless it takes a number of added sugar to counter their tartness. Cranberries’ distinct taste, together with their deep crimson colour, point out the presence of many healthful plant compounds. They’re additionally wealthy in fiber and vitamin C.
Do that: Think about making your individual sauce or relish with much less sugar. Experiment with elements like contemporary or dried fruit, citrus zest, unsweetened fruit preserves, vanilla or almond extract, and cinnamon to assist lower the sugar when making this yr’s cranberry side-dish.
4. The hen is finished when the juices run clear: No — use a meat thermometer
Myoglobin, the pigment that causes the pink colour in a turkey’s juices, turns into clear when heated. However the colour of the juices will not be a dependable solution to keep away from giving your visitors meals poisoning. In keeping with the USDA, poultry is finished when its inner temperature reaches 165 levels F. One of the best ways to examine for doneness is to make use of a meat thermometer.
Do that: Take away the turkey from the oven and examine the temperature by inserting a meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest a part of the breast and the innermost a part of the thigh, ensuring to not let the thermometer contact bone. When the minimal inner temperature of 165 levels F is reached, take away the hen from the oven and let it relaxation 20 to 40 minutes, relying on measurement so the juices reabsorb and maintain the meat moist. Be aware that it isn’t secure to prepare dinner poultry in an oven set decrease than 325 levels F.
5. Someday of feasting will destroy a wholesome dietary sample
Meals is a vital a part of celebratory gatherings. Depriving your self can result in overindulgence later, so it’s all proper to get pleasure from a modest serving of au gratin potatoes, glass of eggnog, or slice of your favourite pie because the occasional treats that they’re.
Savoring your favourite vacation meals slowly and mindfully and reflecting on how a lot you get pleasure from sharing them with household and associates is a vital side of having fun with life.
Do that: Create some new wholesome meals traditions, and restrict parts of indulgent household favorites. Precutting and utilizing small serving utensils might help. Get pleasure from indulgent meals mindfully. Think about packaging and sending a number of the leftovers residence with visitors or freezing them for later. Storing meals out of sight for an additional event is an efficient anti-splurge technique.
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