MyNetDiary Blog

Hey! Where Ya Going with Those Turkey Bones?

Thanksgiving Day is almost here. Hurray! I hope you will be sharing a joyous meal with friends and family. This blog is dedicated to a few of my favorite post-holiday turkey dishes. First and foremost, hang on to your turkey bones!

Broth. Even if your bird is picked over like there’s no tomorrow, you can roast the bones and make a superb low sodium broth from what is left. You can then use that broth in any dish that calls for chicken broth. Take the time to roast the turkey bones before putting them in a stock pot with the usual suspects: water to cover, onions, carrots, and celery. Try this Turkey Broth recipe from the New York Times.

Soup. I know most of us feel that we are just too darn tired or busy to make homemade soup, especially after Thanksgiving, but this is your chance to finally do some good with that turkey carcass. You can make a classic turkey soup or do something a little fancy with just the leftover meat.

Next Day Turkey Soup Food Network (Michael Chiarello). This recipe calls not only for turkey bones, but for your leftover veggie sides as well!

Lemon Turkey Soup with Fresh Spinach and Farfalle. This is a healthy recipe from Epicurious (Bon Appétit 2005) that uses leftover turkey meat (no bones).

Sandwiches. Pair low fat mayo with a small amount of leftover cranberry sauce as a condiment, along with leftover salad greens, whole grain bread, and leftover turkey for a fabulous, healthy lunch. Or, if you want a recipe that uses more veggies, try Turkey Veg Out Sandwiches from Food.com.

Salads. I can’t think of a better use for leftover turkey than Waldorf Salad. This salad combines sweet and savory with smooth and crunchy. For a lighter version, try Cooking Light’s Lightened Waldorf Salad. For a nice spicy twist on this classic, try Eating Well’s Curried Waldorf Salad.

Burritos. You might laugh at this one, but turkey in a whole grain burrito with low fat sour cream, a mix of salsas (one hot, one sweet), avocado, and sautéed peppers and onions is pretty darn good and fast to make.

Chili. Turkey chili is delicious and easy. Here’s a recipe you can try from the Food Network.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources

Cooking Light. Global Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers.

Epicurious. Leftover Turkey Recipes.

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Control Calories on Thanksgiving Day?

I believe that Thanksgiving Day is a day to enjoy with others. I hope that those of you trying to lose weight will not punish yourself by forcing a calories deficit on a day reserved for being thankful for food and sharing it with others. Having said that, it is also a great opportunity to practice portion control. It not only helps minimize a likely calories surplus, but it also helps prevent us from overeating to the point of feeling sick and lethargic. One can enjoy Thanksgiving Day without deprivation by simply consuming smaller portions of delicious food and going for a walk.

Walk!

If you have the big meal earlier in the afternoon, then you can go out for a walk afterwards while it is still daylight. You can’t burn off the meal by walking but it will help reduce the calories surplus for the day. As well, it feels good to get out in the fresh air and move a little bit after being inside all morning long (possibly cooking, baking, eating, and/or socializing). I bet you will be less likely to keeping eating all afternoon and evening if you can take a walking break. Also, walking after the main meal is ideal for those of you with diabetes – walking will help control the post-meal rise in blood glucose. For more tips on controlling diabetes in general, please see my article at MyNetDiary.

Enjoy in Moderation

Limit alcohol. Choose wine, light beer or plain liquor to limit calories per serving. Microbeer lovers beware – some styles can be over 300 calories per serving if the alcohol content is particularly high. See my blog article on beer. Mixed drinks with multiple shots, cream, juice, or soda pop will also be high in calories.

Appetizers. Best choices are fresh veggies, fresh fruit, or very lean proteins (e.g. grilled shrimp or chicken). But skip the dip – most will contain about 80 – 100 calories per tablespoon. Limit appetizers with high fat meats (e.g. bacon or prosciutto wrapped anything) or cheeses to one piece or skip them altogether.

Be picky. Only eat what you think is truly great tasting and leave the rest. Perform triage with your holiday meal calories!

Dinner plate. Fill your dinner plate once and be sure to include protein, whole grains, and plenty of non-starchy veggies. For help on balancing your plate, check out Harvard’s Healthy Plate diagram.

Dessert. If you want to sample multiple desserts, then limit portion size of each sample so that the entire dessert plate is equivalent to one serving and don’t go back for more. Extras that add calories: homemade whipped cream (100 calories per ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons) and drizzled chocolate syrup (100 calories per 2 tablespoons).

Stop nibbling. It is very difficult to assess the total calories intake from nibbling. It is a form of mindless eating that is rarely accounted for in our logs. However, bites here and there can contribute a lot of calories throughout the day. Eating bites of dessert from other people’s plates (or licking batter off of spoons or bowls) can easily cost us 50 calories per bite (e.g. 1/6 of a small brownie, 1/6 slice of pumpkin pie, or 1½ tablespoons of cake batter). Some foods, like creams and frosting, are closer to about 70 calories per tablespoon.

Don’t skip meals. I know a lot of folks try to save calories by skipping breakfast the day of the feast, but don’t bother. You’ll only make it up in spades later in the day. Nibblers – are you meal skippers?

Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources

Eating Well. Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes, Menus and Cooking Tips.

Food Network. Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, MS, RD. Full on Thanksgiving.

Harvard Health Publications. Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes. November 2005.

MyNetDiary Blog. Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD. Thanksgiving.

NPR. Nicole Spiridakis. A Vegetarian Thanksgiving. 11/19/08.

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! It is a holiday focused on sharing great food with friends and family. But how do you handle the holiday when you are trying to lose weight? The caloric impact of a no holds barred Thanksgiving is not trivial. The caloric surplus could easily be several thousand calories if your holiday celebration starts the day before and ends Sunday night. Do you shun the holiday in a furious quest to stay on track at all costs? I hope not! How about a compromise? The following four strategies will help you maintain rather than gain weight over the holiday.

1.    Modify recipes for most dishes so that they are lower in calories
2.    Use traditional recipes for your absolute favorites
3.    Exercise portion control for all choices
4.    Be active most days of the holiday

Limiting Caloric Damage

Limit added sugars and fats. One tablespoon has: 50 calories for sugars and syrups, 100 calories for butter or margarine, and 120 calories for vegetable oils.

Turkey. You really can’t go wrong with any part of the bird but both the skin and dark meat are higher in fat and calories than other parts. For a standard 3 oz portion, skinless turkey breast has about 115 calories whereas dark meat with skin has about 190 calories.

Mashed potatoes. Try mashing with low fat or fat-free sour cream, nonfat Greek yogurt and skim milk instead of regular sour cream and whole milk or cream. Limit portion size to ½ cup (about one large ice cream scoop’s worth).

Gravy. Skim the fat off pan drippings before using for gravy (fat will float to the top when it starts to cool). If you are using a store-bought gravy, then choose a low-fat version.

Stuffing. Make stuffing in a pan instead of in the bird to avoid absorption of fat drippings. Use turkey broth and a small amount of olive oil instead of butter to moisten the stuffing. Or, try using a small amount of butter for flavor along with mostly broth and low-fat whipped butter for texture.

Beverages. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram compared to 9 calories for fat, and 4 calories per carb or protein. The higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories. Also, drinks with added sugar, syrup, juice, or soda pop will be higher in calories than those made with non-caloric beverages. See below for the caloric content of commonly consumed drinks.
·      12 fl oz light beer, about 100 calories
·      1.5 fl oz of hard alcohol (distilled spirits) about 100 calories
·      5 fl oz wine , about 120 calories
·      12 fl oz beer (5% alcohol), about 150 calories
·      4 fl oz hard eggnog, about 300 calories
·      12 fl oz margarita on the rocks, about 470 calories

Desserts. Pies can rack up a lot of calories due to both the crust and sweet filling. Limit portion size to 1/8 pie slice (cut pie 4 times to get 8 slices). Pumpkin pie averages about 300 calories per slice whereas pecan pie averages about 500 calories per slice.
Save calories by choosing plain cake (e.g. Angel Food Cake) over frosted or iced. Fresh fruit with low-fat or fat-free whipped cream is typically less than 100 calories per serving.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday! If you have questions about this topic, let’s hear from you on the MyNetDiary Community Forum.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources
Mayo Clinic. “Thanksgiving recipes: delicious options for healthy eating.”

Cooking Light. “13 Great Thanksgiving meals.”

Cooking Light. “Vegetarian Thanksgiving.”

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.