Dietitians Urge Holiday Diners to Stuff Bird, Not Themselves

Sure you feel stuffed after Thanksgiving. But have you ever dared compute the total number of calories you’ve consumed?

Dietitians have, and it’s not a pretty total. The average Thanksgiving dinner eats a whopping 7,625 calories. That’s about four to five times what most of us need to consume in a day.

The good news: You can cut calories by more than half without feeling deprived.

If calorie-counting ruins your holiday, dietitians suggest these simple cut-down rules instead:

“Cook the dressing outside the turkey and it’s automatically lowers the fat because there are no turkey fat drippings,” suggests Jody Lander Spector, a dietitian at St. Vincent Medical Center, Los Angeles. “Use broth-based dressing instead of cream- or butter-based,” adds Bonnie Modugno, a Marina del Rey dietitian. “You cut the fat and it still tastes good. Broth-based dressing can be as low as 10% fat; typical dressing is 35% or 40% fat.”

Don’t skip dessert, Spector tells her overweight clients. “Just select them wisely. A piece of pecan pie has 700 calories; a piece of pumpkin has 300.” Choosing alcoholic drinks wisely is another calorie-reduction tactic. A six-ounce eggnog with liquor can have 450 calories. But a six-ounce glass of white wine has 120 calories.

“Don’t set yourself up to overeat,” Modugno adds. “Skipping breakfast on Thanksgiving isn’t a good idea. You’ll be starving when you sit down to dinner.”

Many Are Ill, but Real Flu Hasn’t Hit Yet

It only seems like everyone you know has been down with the flu. “To date, there has been no true influenza in Los Angeles County,” says Dr. Laurene Mascola of the county’s acute communicable disease control unit. What’s been going around? “Other types of viral infections, resulting in brief, minor flu-like or cold-like symptoms but often no accompanying high fever.”

People at high risk--along with anyone else who’d like to keep the flu away--should get a flu shot before December, recommends Frank Sorvillo, a county epidemiologist. “The best time to get the shot is before the flu season,” he says. “In L.A. County, that’s usually December. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to generate immunity.”

The county Department of Health Services began its free flu shot program in late October for residents above age 55 and others at high risk.

People not at high risk might also consider the shot, Mascola says, especially if they often visit elderly parents.