Thanksgiving dinner will make your heart skip a beat with joy as you look at the delicious roast turkey, side dishes, and desserts.
But what effect does this feast, all loaded with fat, salt, meat, sugar, and alcohol, actually have on heart health?
If you ask a cardiologist what to eat for Thanksgiving, two opinions will emerge. Some people are so intimidated by the traditional dinner that they choose a different menu for their family.
“If you look at the purpose of the holiday, we’re trying to celebrate life. And yet we sit around with people and spew venom at each other. This is something we really need to address. That’s true,” Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and health at National Jewish Health in Denver, told TODAY.com.
He no longer eats turkey or animal protein and makes pumpkin stuffed with quinoa, beans and spices as his Thanksgiving main course.
But the other camp of heart doctors believes it’s important to enjoy the holiday with traditional foods.
“I’m probably not the typical cardiologist. I’ll eat anything for Thanksgiving,” says Dr. Mark Eisenberg, a clinical cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
“If you didn’t eat anything for Thanksgiving, you’re probably going to binge eat everything you felt you missed out on the next day or the day after. I tell most people, ‘Just enjoy it.’
Because this day only happens once a year, Dr. Sean Heffron, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health’s Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, says it gives him some freedom.
“[But]don’t make it six weeks out of the year. A lot of people do it from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, and it’s easy to do,” he warns.
There are also some important precautions for people with heart disease.
Here’s what cardiologists will eat this Thursday and what foods and drinks to avoid.
What cardiologists eat on Thanksgiving:
Make plant-based side dishes the main dish
Dr. Susan Chen, a cardiologist at the Smit Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, eats a primarily plant-based diet, but she also eats a diet surrounded by many vegetable side dishes such as sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Sometimes they eat small turkeys. Or salad vegetables.
“Portion control is very important in any situation, especially since eating more than you need at one meal tends to overload your system,” she says.
Instead of eating a giant turkey, Freeman suggests eating plenty of spinach or broccoli to add a little meaty flavor. Although he loves green beans and potatoes, he encourages people to avoid covering his favorite vegetables with oil or butter.
“Sometimes I see people putting two pounds of turkey on their plate and a piece of broccoli on top,” he says. “I was really surprised.”
Dr. Nika Goldberg, a cardiologist and clinical associate professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, tries to reduce carbohydrate intake by serving lots of salads and vegetables at Thanksgiving dinner.
food made with air fryer
Freeman says the air fryer is a great way to crisp up potato plants and make them taste amazing.
I also like to crisp up fresh Brussels sprouts in the air fryer and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Fruit, cranberry bread, or mini pastries for dessert
Fruit was a popular dessert choice among cardiologists. Goldberg advises making “a beautiful, colorful fruit salad.” She also likes to serve platters of mini pastries instead of large pies.
It’s also a great opportunity to make delicious, moist cranberry or banana bread with simple ingredients, Freeman added. Some store-bought pies may be OK if they “happen to be plant-based,” meaning they don’t contain milk, butter or cream, so check the ingredient list, he advises.
What cardiologists avoid eating on Thanksgiving:
turkey skin
Freeman said animal skins are typically very high in fat and calories. “I generally never recommend turkey skin,” he says.
Heffron also recommends removing the skin and focusing on the breast area for lean, white meat.
butter
All cardiologists say not to use butter because it contains animal fat and cholesterol. They encourage people to look for ways to reduce or eliminate it in recipes.
“Butter is probably the worst thing a human can eat,” Eisenberg warns.
“Butter is used in excess in many situations where you don’t need it as much to get a quality taste in a meal,” Chen adds.
Heffron modified her grandmother’s stuffing recipe by omitting the butter, but said the taste didn’t change much.
gravy
Traditional gravy just adds fat and calories, Heffron points out. It might be better to drizzle some olive oil or sprinkle some nuts on the food to add texture, he added.
“You can make a delicious gravy from mushrooms and flour, but when you start adding heavy cream, milk, butter, and eggs, the calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol really increase,” Freeman warns. “These are things that can cause atherosclerosis in the future.”
foods with too much salt
People with high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease should be careful about their salt intake, Eisenberg said.
Unfortunately, the typical Thanksgiving feast is loaded with salt, even regular turkey. Most store-bought turkeys are salted for several days and soaked in brine to make them juicy. Freeman points out that some are injected with salt water for the same purpose.
Americans already consume more than the recommended amount of salt each day, he added, but on Thanksgiving, it could be several times the daily amount.
If you’re making things from scratch, Chen advises that adding salt at the end of the cooking process will often reduce the overall amount of salt. Do not use “high grade” coarse salt. The amount of salt is much higher for the taste. ” she added.
Excess alcohol or holiday drinks
Doctors say it’s possible to have only a small taste of wine or no alcohol at all. Eisenberg says one or two drinks is usually fine, but be careful not to drink too much.
“People have to be careful because alcohol can increase blood pressure. It can also cause people’s heart rhythms to become abnormal,” he points out.
Traditional eggnog is high in calories, fat and sugar, so it’s best to limit your drinks this holiday, Freeman says.
Heart-healthy Thanksgiving tips:
Here’s more advice from cardiologists on how to care for your heart during the holidays.
- Eat breakfast and lunch on Thanksgiving Day so you don’t arrive at dinner extremely hungry.
- Eat as healthy as possible before and after the holidays.
- Get active: If possible, go for a walk before or after dinner. Let’s play soccer with the family. If it’s a snowy day, let’s go skiing.
- Have fun with your friends and family. “Social connections are very important,” Chen says. “Positive psychosocial interactions benefit the heart in ways we don’t fully understand.””
