Active Community: Message List - Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

Kegan36604005 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:40:00 GMT

I got this from my Team in Training coach. Not sure of the source, but the info looks sound.

. PS, shamless promotion forTeam in Training here: Visit www.teamintraining.org[/URL" target="_blank">

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Take advantage of "nutritionally dense" holiday foods

Perhaps you've never thought of traditional holiday foods as a nutritional
gift. You may have considered those 10 pounds you gained from holiday eating
more of a nutritional wake-up call than a gift. Fortunately, many holiday
food staples can supply our bodies with a multitude of health-enhancing
nutrients and when consumed in moderation, can actually become year-round
nutritional staples. So during this holiday season, be sure to include these
health enhancing foods:

Pumpkin: You can eat that scrumptious pumpkin pie without all the guilt!
Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta-carotene (269 percent RDA per
half-cup serving), which is converted to resistance-building vitamin A.
Pumpkin is also a wonderful source of iron (17 percent RDA per half-cup
serving), a mineral essential for transporting oxygen to our working cells.
And surprisingly, canned pumpkin contains 15 times more beta-carotene than
fresh pumpkin. Reduce the fat content of pumpkin pie by using egg substitute
and evaporated skim milk instead of whole eggs and cream, and replace the
traditional pastry crust with crushed ginger snap cookies or graham crackers
instead.

Cranberries: Cranberries are a fruit for all seasons, although they're more
apparent during the holidays. The cranberry's plant pigment that provides
color to our holiday plate also provides a number of compounds that have
shown early promise against cancer and heart disease. The ellagic acid in
cranberries has been shown to help prevent tumor growth by disarming
cancer-causing agents. In addition, cranberries contain two powerful
flavonoids~~quercetin and myricetin~~that have been shown to prevent damage
to blood vessel linings, thereby playing a role in the prevention of artery
disease. Because cranberries are tart when eaten alone, many cranberry sauce
recipes call for a lot of sugar. Generally, reducing the sugar content by 25
percent still yields a tasty product. Many diabetics have used the sweetener
Splenda (sucrolose) instead of sugar with great success. Splenda is stable
for cooking and baking and measures just like sugar, without the added
calories.

Turkey: Since the pilgrims' first Thanksgiving feast, turkey has been a
staple protein source. Turkey also provides significant sources of
B-vitamins, selenium and zinc, nutrients essential for optimal nerve and
immune function. Skip the outer skin and you'll avoid most of the fat. While
white meat (turkey breast) is generally considered the most nutritious part
of the bird with its low fat content, darker meat contains 10 percent more
iron per three-ounce serving. When selecting a turkey, choose fresh, unbaked
rather than pre-bastedthese are injected with an oil and salty broth mixture. You can baste the turkey with broth, sherry or white wine rather than butter to further reduce the fat content. Sweet Potatoes: Despite an impressive nutritional profile and sweet flavor, sweet potato consumption has gone down instead of up. A four-ounce sweet potato contains a mere 143 calories and provides over 100 percent of our daily needs for beta-carotene. It also provides more than a quarter of our daily needs for vitamins C and Enutrients that have been shown to help
protect cell damage in athletes competing in extreme environments (e.g.,
altitude, heat, cold, pollution), as well as enhance muscle recovery after
intense running efforts. In addition, sweet potatoes are an excellent source
of iron, a nutrient commonly lacking in vegetarian athletes. So expand your
intake of sweet potatoes beyond the traditional Thanksgiving casserole: Add
sweet potatoes to chili or your favorite potato salad recipe; shred it raw
into hamburger, meatloaf and meatball mixtures; toss chunks of it into
salads; or use mashed sweet potato as ravioli stuffing.

Chestnuts - "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" provide quite the
nutritional punch. In contrast to other calorie- and fat-laden nuts,
chestnuts contain less than one gram of fat per ounce, while providing a
hefty dose of fiber (3.7 grams), vitamin C (12 percent RDA), and folic acid
(10 percent RDA)nutrients important for immune function, formation of collagen and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. Chestnuts are good in stuffing, pilaf, vegetable side dishes and soups. They're also excellent snacks by themselves. --

Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.

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[http://This message has been edited by Kegan36604 (edited Nov-23-2007).|http://This message has been edited by Kegan36604 (edited Nov-23-2007).]

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

ANONYMOUS — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:25:00 GMT

Since I've started serious running I just can't put away a big meal like that. I had a little turkey and some of the traditional items (i hate stuffing) but refused seconds and didn't snack myself to death before dinner, I figure my TDD (Turkey-Day-Damage) At approx 2700 calories for the day. Over my normal amount, by about 500 cals, but whats +/- 500 cals really? I burn 150 per mile easy.

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

ShanGen — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:19:00 GMT

where is out running/eating mantra??? I think it deserves a rightful place: run for fitness/ diet for weight loss.

I wouldn't worry so much about running to counteract the eating I would just make really healthy choices the next couple of weeks and when christmas rolls around practice lots of self-restraint!

I think it is hard to predict calories when we have no idea of portion size. I ate till I was gorged on turkey day and it was only 1500 or so calories. No where near 4000. But I may get stuffed sooner than everyone else.

As a runner whose weekly mileage hasn't hit 20 yet (close 18 this week) I will only push myself into injury if I think I need to go out and run those Calories off. For many newbies especially our C25Kers they need to just move on and be thankful Thanksgiving isn't every week!

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

Mugulian — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:35:00 GMT

I decided to eat in moderation, but managed to offset most of the damage because of relatives. By that I means I just needed to get out of the house. Set a new personal record in terms of miles in one week plus did the 8k turkey trot in 41:38. Never thought I would worry this much about food, but still had a great time.

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

cewickbe — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:04:00 GMT

OMG!! I never thought there would be as many cals in that dinner as everyone said!! I'm feeling even worse now b/c we wound up doing Thanksgiving dinner Round 2 on Sunday night. Plus, I think I even went out for some lunches/dinners throughout the weekend as well!! oh man, this sucks sooooo bad......................

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

figbash — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:16:00 GMT

I was definitely in moderation mode this year. Small servings and no seconds plus a 4.5 mile run yesterday and today. My conscience is clear.

Tom

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Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

mtnchk1 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:38:00 GMT

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

ANONYMOUS — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:05:00 GMT

Seriously this question scares me. I know I ate alot yesterday but I made the best pecan pie ( no excuse) I would say with desert and drinks and everything at least 3500-4000 calories easy. That really stinks wrote down.

I am going to run.

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

COcarrie — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 23:22:00 GMT

I have no idea but I think the problem alot of us face is that the "holidays" (plural) get out of control because we lose sight of the fact that there is A holiday (singular). It's fine to over indulge a bit on ONE day, but it gets a bit scary when we keep it up for 5 or 6 weeks! I could seriously gain 10 or more pounds over the season if I don't watch it! I'm trying to use this strategy this year and allow myself a very few truly special days so I can maintain or even (gasp!) lose.

If nothing else, keep moving. It helps remind you the cause and effect thing, if you know what I mean!
Carrie

Re: Thanksgiving Dinner Calories

ANONYMOUS — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:07:00 GMT

As far as the turkey goes they say a serving of meat is about a deck of cards, and with turkey being reasonably healthy I would guess a serving @ between 100-250 calories.

A serving of potatoes is about the size of ones fist, but their caloric count could vary tremendously depending on how they are prepared.

Cranberry and other such fruits can often be found on the can and as for anything else I'm not really sure.