SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Most Americans gobble down more food at Thanksgiving than any other holiday. According to the American Council on Exercise, the average American will consume about 3000 calories, including 225 grams of fat, on Thanksgiving.

Since about 65 percent of Americans today are already battling overweight or obesity, it's important to incorporate healthier traditions into the holidays that will help reduce weight gain.

"There are many easy ways to reduce the calories that you put on your Thanksgiving table," says Elizabeth Thompson, MPH, RD, and vice president of coaching programs for Healthyroads, the wellness subsidiary of leading personal health improvement company American Specialty Health (ASH). "When you combine healthier recipes with a higher level of activity on and after Thanksgiving Day, you may find that you can actually get through the Thanksgiving holiday without gaining weight," adds Thompson. "And that's a good goal for all of us!"

Below are five Healthyroads "tips" for staying healthy during Thanksgiving:

  1. Plan a lower calorie Thanksgiving menu. Before you start your
     Thanksgiving shopping, write out your traditional menu, then
     replace high-calorie items with new, healthy items, or reduced
     fat versions. For example, serve fresh, steamed broccoli
     instead of broccoli casserole, which is loaded with eggs,
     mayonnaise and cheese. Replace traditional bread-based
     stuffing with a wild rice version that includes nuts and
     vegetables. Ditch the gravy and replace it with turkey or
     chicken broth. Substitute fresh, pureed cranberries
     sweetened with honey for the sugar-filled, canned cranberry
     sauce. And finally, cook a turkey breast of white meat only,
     or if you're a guest somewhere else, be sure to only eat the
     white meat, avoiding the higher fat dark meat and skin.

  2. Serve smaller portions. Guests hate to leave food on a plate,
     so serve smaller portions. They can always ask for seconds if
     they really want them. If you have smaller dinner plates, use
     those rather than oversized plates. The plate will look
     fuller with about half the actual serving sizes. When serving
     yourself or your kids, give larger servings of turkey, veggies
     and salads, and smaller servings of stuffing, potatoes, breads
     and other starches.

  3. Satiate the sweet tooth with low-fat desserts.  Limit the
     choices of desserts, so guests don't feel they must try a
     little of everything. Delicious baked apples can be prepared
     simply with a light glaze of honey, cinnamon and pecans, and
     topped with non-fat frozen yogurt. Make pear or apricot
     turnovers using raisins, cinnamon and ultra-thin, low-fat
     phyllo dough. Dress up low fat meringue cookies with a
     dusting of semi-sweet chocolate powder. Serve a tasty berry
     sorbet. Or for those who must have pumpkin dessert, there
     are recipes on the internet for pumpkin custards that can be
     made with about a quarter of the calories of pumpkin pie.

  4. Start your Thanksgiving Day out with a healthy breakfast.
     A good breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit will start you
     on your way to a healthy Thanksgiving Day. If you feel
     hungry later, snack on carrot or celery sticks, low-fat nuts
     like pistachios and almonds, or raw veggies and hummus.
     Drinking a few glasses of water before dinner will also give
     you a fuller feeling and help you eat less.

  5. Plan a Thanksgiving Day and weekend activity schedule. For
     most of us, Thanksgiving doesn't stop on Thursday. Most
     families continue eating heavy Thanksgiving leftovers
     throughout the entire holiday weekend. So plan to increase
     your activity level throughout the holiday. Start out
     Thanksgiving morning with a family walk or visit to the gym
     instead of watching parades or football on television. After
     dinner, organize a game of Frisbee, touch football, Wii
     bowling, or other activity. Plan several other calorie-
     burning weekend events for your family or guests, such as
     hiking, bike riding, or golf. If it's too cold to be outside,
     go bowling, ice skating or dancing.  Once all the festive
     foods and guests are gone, you can resume your normal activity
     schedule.

Follow these tips and you'll look back on 2009 as the year you made it through Thanksgiving with no extra pounds and your good health intact. And that would be something you could really be thankful about.

About Healthyroads and American Specialty Health

Healthyroads, Inc. is the prevention and wellness services subsidiary of American Specialty Health (ASH). Healthyroads offers a wide range of wellness solutions, including award-winning telephone-based coaching programs for weight management, tobacco cessation, and healthy living, and products and resources through its integrated Web site, Healthyroads.com.

ASH provides population health management programs including prevention and wellness, fitness and exercise, and specialty network management services to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds. Based in San Diego, ASH has more than 700 employees and covers over 15.6 million members.

For more information about Healthyroads and other ASH health and wellness programs, visit www.ASHCompanies.com or call 800.848.3555.

CONTACT:  American Specialty Health
          Debby Clark
            619.557.3120
            debbyc@ashn.com
          Jeff Keller
            800.848.3555, ext. 3753
            jeffk@ashn.com