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American Morning
Healthy Thanksgiving Feast
Aired November 27, 2002 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's that time, and we are talking turkey this morning. So many people approach this holiday not with joy, but rather with dread oftentimes, because they're worried about gaining weight. But you could have your favorite foods, feel guilt- free at the end of the day, if you follow a few, simple guidelines.
Here with advice and more on that, nutritionist Heidi Skolnick, a contributing editor for "Men's Health" magazine.
Great to see you again, Heidi -- good morning to you.
HEIDI SKOLNICK, "MEN'S HEALTH": Good morning.
HEMMER: We have ourselves a feast, and it's not even 8:00 in the morning, is it?
SKOLNICK: How about that?
HEMMER: Yes. Hey, listen, one of the things a lot of people do that you really want to impress upon folks is the difference between eating the meal and grazing. And we can show some folks when you graze throughout the day while that turkey cooks in the oven over an eight-hour period. If you look at this grazing item here -- a handful of nuts, a couple of cubes of cheese, a little bit of stuffing, a little bit of cranberry sauce, change the screen, there you've got turkey leftovers and a couple of turtles, and we're just popping it in as you go, right?
SKOLNICK: Right, I mean...
HEMMER: This total here, though, 989 calories, right?
SKOLNICK: Right. And the thing is, it's not the meal that gets you, it's what you're eating when you're cooking, it's what you're eating when you're cleaning up, it's what you're eating when you're walking around and socializing with your relatives or friends. It's those pickings, and that ends up equaling more than the meal itself.
HEMMER: I mentioned 989. That was the calorie count for the grazing...
(CROSSTALK)
SKOLNICK: Right.
HEMMER: Look at what happens when you actually sit down to a meal. This big Thanksgiving dinner that you've worked eight hours to prepare, sometimes two days in fact. If you look at what you eat, the total calorie count there is less than that, just about 980. So, you could essentially gain more calories by picking throughout the day, rather than sitting down at a big meal.
SKOLNICK: Right, it's when you have that spoonful of stuffing and you take the turkey right off of the bird, right? You take it right off the carvery (ph), and you have an extra thing of -- you know, one or two spoonfuls of the sweet potato and a handful of nuts. You know, that's 200 calories there. Cheese and crackers, another 200 calories there. And when you add that all up, it's another 1,000 calories.
HEMMER: On the turkey here on the big bird, dark meat vs. white meat.
SKOLNICK: It's so overrated. Eat what you like.
HEMMER: Really? Overrated?
SKOLNICK: Have the dark meat if you want it.
HEMMER: I would take this drumstick here and that one over there probably.
SKOLNICK: Bill, you don't have to fight over it with your family members...
HEMMER: No, family...
(CROSSTALK)
SKOLNICK: ... just a little?
HEMMER: A couple of sisters who argue for it, yes.
SKOLNICK: Yes. So...
HEMMER: Good thing or not?
SKOLNICK: Well, here's the thing. Dark meat, three ounces of dark meat has only 20 to 30 calories more than three ounces of white meat.
HEMMER: Really?
SKOLNICK: So, enjoy it.
HEMMER: Yes. What about the skin, though?
SKOLNICK: Now, that's a different story, because the three ounces of skin will be about 300 to 400 calories, which is 200 to 300 calories more than just the meat. And it's all fat. There's no protein. There's no real value to it.
HEMMER: Yes.
SKOLNICK: So, you want to go light on the skin.
HEMMER: OK. Sweet potatoes and the stuffing...
SKOLNICK: Well...
HEMMER: ... or the dressing.
SKOLNICK: ... now, what's the point of having the day if you're not going to have sweet potatoes and stuffing? So, I think that you really need to make your choice. Sweet potatoes, at least, is nutrient-rich. It's a great food, where stuffing is really kind of bread with butter thrown in there. So, you know, you've got to make your choice. They are definitely calorically dense, but again, you're not going to gain weight from having this meal. You're going to gain weight from continuing to eat from Thanksgiving through New Year's.
HEMMER: Which isn't a bad option. Pecan or pumpkin?
SKOLNICK: Pumpkin is half the calories of pecan pie, so you can have two slices of pumpkin for one pecan, or half a slice of pecan.
HEMMER: All right, you've got some turtles over here, too.
SKOLNICK: Well, you know, again, these are the kind of things that you just have one and then you have another one and I think, you know, some of the -- one of the tips I want to stress is move away from the buffet. Don't sit at the desert table for, you know, an hour or two after the meal, because that's when you're going to keep nibbling. And that's where the calories are. You move into the family room, go out for a walk, take that -- you know, get a football game going in the back yard.
HEMMER: Yes.
SKOLNICK: But you want to move away from the buffet.
HEMMER: Quickly here, a lot of people will not eat the entire day, because they're waiting for that big meal. You say it's OK to eat breakfast, right?
SKOLNICK: You want to eat breakfast. You sabotage yourself by going into Thanksgiving hungry. If you think you're not going to make up for those calories because you missed it at breakfast, you know, you're mistaken. You are going to eat the same amount plus more, because you're going to be so hungry. So, have breakfast, even have lunch if your Thanksgiving meal is dinnertime.
HEMMER: What about the alcohol?
SKOLNICK: The alcohol, it's the calories in the alcohol, and it's the disinhibition that comes when you start drinking, you know, you start eating a little bit more, you don't care about the amount so much. You kind of get those cravings going.
HEMMER: And we're just all having a good time.
SKOLNICK: And that would be OK for the day, but again, when it extends through New Year's, that's when you get those 10 pounds going.
HEMMER: And the third item up there, quickly again, you mentioned it before, is stay away from the buffet.
SKOLNICK: Move away from the buffet.
HEMMER: Good advice. All of that takes discipline, though, does it not?
SKOLNICK: No, I think it's strategy.
HEMMER: Right, OK. Thank you, Heidi. Good to see you again.
SKOLNICK: You, too.
HEMMER: Heidi Skolnick -- OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 27, 2002 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's that time, and we are talking turkey this morning. So many people approach this holiday not with joy, but rather with dread oftentimes, because they're worried about gaining weight. But you could have your favorite foods, feel guilt- free at the end of the day, if you follow a few, simple guidelines.
Here with advice and more on that, nutritionist Heidi Skolnick, a contributing editor for "Men's Health" magazine.
Great to see you again, Heidi -- good morning to you.
HEIDI SKOLNICK, "MEN'S HEALTH": Good morning.
HEMMER: We have ourselves a feast, and it's not even 8:00 in the morning, is it?
SKOLNICK: How about that?
HEMMER: Yes. Hey, listen, one of the things a lot of people do that you really want to impress upon folks is the difference between eating the meal and grazing. And we can show some folks when you graze throughout the day while that turkey cooks in the oven over an eight-hour period. If you look at this grazing item here -- a handful of nuts, a couple of cubes of cheese, a little bit of stuffing, a little bit of cranberry sauce, change the screen, there you've got turkey leftovers and a couple of turtles, and we're just popping it in as you go, right?
SKOLNICK: Right, I mean...
HEMMER: This total here, though, 989 calories, right?
SKOLNICK: Right. And the thing is, it's not the meal that gets you, it's what you're eating when you're cooking, it's what you're eating when you're cleaning up, it's what you're eating when you're walking around and socializing with your relatives or friends. It's those pickings, and that ends up equaling more than the meal itself.
HEMMER: I mentioned 989. That was the calorie count for the grazing...
(CROSSTALK)
SKOLNICK: Right.
HEMMER: Look at what happens when you actually sit down to a meal. This big Thanksgiving dinner that you've worked eight hours to prepare, sometimes two days in fact. If you look at what you eat, the total calorie count there is less than that, just about 980. So, you could essentially gain more calories by picking throughout the day, rather than sitting down at a big meal.
SKOLNICK: Right, it's when you have that spoonful of stuffing and you take the turkey right off of the bird, right? You take it right off the carvery (ph), and you have an extra thing of -- you know, one or two spoonfuls of the sweet potato and a handful of nuts. You know, that's 200 calories there. Cheese and crackers, another 200 calories there. And when you add that all up, it's another 1,000 calories.
HEMMER: On the turkey here on the big bird, dark meat vs. white meat.
SKOLNICK: It's so overrated. Eat what you like.
HEMMER: Really? Overrated?
SKOLNICK: Have the dark meat if you want it.
HEMMER: I would take this drumstick here and that one over there probably.
SKOLNICK: Bill, you don't have to fight over it with your family members...
HEMMER: No, family...
(CROSSTALK)
SKOLNICK: ... just a little?
HEMMER: A couple of sisters who argue for it, yes.
SKOLNICK: Yes. So...
HEMMER: Good thing or not?
SKOLNICK: Well, here's the thing. Dark meat, three ounces of dark meat has only 20 to 30 calories more than three ounces of white meat.
HEMMER: Really?
SKOLNICK: So, enjoy it.
HEMMER: Yes. What about the skin, though?
SKOLNICK: Now, that's a different story, because the three ounces of skin will be about 300 to 400 calories, which is 200 to 300 calories more than just the meat. And it's all fat. There's no protein. There's no real value to it.
HEMMER: Yes.
SKOLNICK: So, you want to go light on the skin.
HEMMER: OK. Sweet potatoes and the stuffing...
SKOLNICK: Well...
HEMMER: ... or the dressing.
SKOLNICK: ... now, what's the point of having the day if you're not going to have sweet potatoes and stuffing? So, I think that you really need to make your choice. Sweet potatoes, at least, is nutrient-rich. It's a great food, where stuffing is really kind of bread with butter thrown in there. So, you know, you've got to make your choice. They are definitely calorically dense, but again, you're not going to gain weight from having this meal. You're going to gain weight from continuing to eat from Thanksgiving through New Year's.
HEMMER: Which isn't a bad option. Pecan or pumpkin?
SKOLNICK: Pumpkin is half the calories of pecan pie, so you can have two slices of pumpkin for one pecan, or half a slice of pecan.
HEMMER: All right, you've got some turtles over here, too.
SKOLNICK: Well, you know, again, these are the kind of things that you just have one and then you have another one and I think, you know, some of the -- one of the tips I want to stress is move away from the buffet. Don't sit at the desert table for, you know, an hour or two after the meal, because that's when you're going to keep nibbling. And that's where the calories are. You move into the family room, go out for a walk, take that -- you know, get a football game going in the back yard.
HEMMER: Yes.
SKOLNICK: But you want to move away from the buffet.
HEMMER: Quickly here, a lot of people will not eat the entire day, because they're waiting for that big meal. You say it's OK to eat breakfast, right?
SKOLNICK: You want to eat breakfast. You sabotage yourself by going into Thanksgiving hungry. If you think you're not going to make up for those calories because you missed it at breakfast, you know, you're mistaken. You are going to eat the same amount plus more, because you're going to be so hungry. So, have breakfast, even have lunch if your Thanksgiving meal is dinnertime.
HEMMER: What about the alcohol?
SKOLNICK: The alcohol, it's the calories in the alcohol, and it's the disinhibition that comes when you start drinking, you know, you start eating a little bit more, you don't care about the amount so much. You kind of get those cravings going.
HEMMER: And we're just all having a good time.
SKOLNICK: And that would be OK for the day, but again, when it extends through New Year's, that's when you get those 10 pounds going.
HEMMER: And the third item up there, quickly again, you mentioned it before, is stay away from the buffet.
SKOLNICK: Move away from the buffet.
HEMMER: Good advice. All of that takes discipline, though, does it not?
SKOLNICK: No, I think it's strategy.
HEMMER: Right, OK. Thank you, Heidi. Good to see you again.
SKOLNICK: You, too.
HEMMER: Heidi Skolnick -- OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
