Thanksgiving is imminent. Soon many of us will consume more calories in a single sitting than any other day this year. But the health-conscious diner needn’t fret.
“I always like to remind people that no single day of eating will change your physique or throw off progress you've made, just like no single workout is going to transform your body,” says New York–based registered dietician Maddie Pasquariello, MS, RD. “Health comes down to the things we do long-term and the sustainable habits we stick to all year long.” Whether you’re on a quest to build muscle or burn fat, if you’ve clung onto the wagon this long, even the culinary carnage of a Thanksgiving meal won’t be enough to set you back.
“That said, there are a few dishes that are best consumed in moderation—on Thanksgiving, and in general,” Pasquariello says. If you’re planning to finish the year strong, a no-holds-barred feeding frenzy can throw some last-minute obstacles in between you and your goals, impacting things like sleep, energy levels, and even hormones, which can have knock-on effects on your diet and workouts.
Thankfully, if you go in with a game plan for your thanksgiving plate, you can have your cake and eat it—literally. Just follow Pasquariello’s playbook.
Read the 13 rules for healthy Thanksgiving eating.
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