4,500.

That’s how many calories the average American consumes during a Thanksgiving get-together, according to the Calorie Control Council. While the majority of this is consumed at the main meal, a significant portion also comes from various appetizers and drinks. Depending on your estimated daily calorie needs, this may be up to 2-3 times more than what you should be consuming over the course of the entire day! 

Not to worry! Having a few simple strategies up your sleeve can help prevent you from going overboard this Thanksgiving. Check out the easy five step guide below for tips on creating a more well-balanced plate, without giving up the foods that you love!

Depending on your family’s traditions, you may not have a large variety of healthy foods to choose from. If this is the case, here are a few simple tips to help you balance out our meal:

• Sneak a few vegetables from an appetizer tray to add to your plate if there are limited choices offered with the main meal, or; 
• Try to include more of your daily recommended fruit and vegetable servings in smaller meals throughout the day if you know there won’t be too many options available at the main meal.
• Offer to make and bring your own side dish. You can then put a healthier, yet still delicious, spin on traditional Thanksgiving food and the host would love the help!
• Consider simple strategies to cut back on excess fat and calories, like enjoying the turkey without the skin, skipping the butter on your bread, or keeping sauces or gravies on the side instead of adding liberally to your plate.

Just like that, you can enjoy all of your favorite foods, without the guilt! Now isn’t that something to be thankful for!

Everyone enjoys Halloween. What is there not to love? Pumpkin carving, getting to dress up for a whole night without judgement, Freeform’s 13 Nights of Halloween, and we can’t forget about all the free candy! According to market research conducted by the NPD Group, four percent of our annual candy consumption occurs on October 31. In addition, along with most children in America, about half of adults will eat candy this Halloween. Whether you’re enjoying a few pieces as you fill up the bags of trick-or-treaters, or indulging at that festive display of sweet treats at a friend’s Halloween party, have you ever stopped to think about how much sugar you are really consuming?  

The American Heart Association recommends keeping your daily added sugar intake between 24 and 36 grams. Consider that one 1.5 oz Hershey’s chocolate bar contains 24 grams of sugar, which can contribute up to one hundred percent of this daily recommendation. As if Halloween wasn’t scary enough!  Check out how some of your other favorite candy bars compare below:

Find this a little frightening? Here are some tips to use this Halloween for when you’re craving a sugary treat:

• Take a walk to get your mind off your craving. Plus, a little exercise never hurt anyone!
• Chew some sugar-free gum.
• Drink a glass of water. Food cravings can sometimes be confused with thirst.
• Make sure you eat breakfast! Starting the day with a balanced meal can help cut down cravings.
• Substitute highly sweetened and non-nutrient dense foods such as desserts, candies, and sodas for foods such a fruits, yogurt or milk, as they contain other essential nutrients as well. Need some more ideas? Check out our Healthy Snacking blog post!

Yes, these are all easier said than done, but remember, if you follow these TRICKS, there’s always some room to TREAT yourself this Halloween!

Its 7:45 a.m. and you’re already running late for your 8 o’clock class, but you NEED your coffee. You run into the HUB and find the Starbucks line is just too long for you to wait. So, you skip out on your coffee for the morning and just head to class. You figure you’ll just miss out on your caffeine for the day, but what else are you actually missing out on?

For a very long time, coffee has had a bad reputation, but recently, that narrative is changing. Today, fifty-four percent of adults (18+) drink coffee, and it is a huge part of college culture. But is this necessarily a bad thing?

Recent studies show that there may actually be many health benefits associated with coffee:

So, maybe all that coffee you drink on a daily basis isn’t so bad after all! Unfortunately, there is a catch. All of these studies are based on subjects who drank black coffee. Yes, that means no sugar, milk, half and half, syrup, whipped cream, you name it. If you go Starbucks and order a Pumpkin Spice Latte every day, then the amount of added sugar you are consuming may cancel out some of the potential health benefits. Here are some tips on how to make your Starbucks order healthier, straight from the baristas themselves:

• Ask for the light version for at least 33% percent fewer calories
• Try a sugar substitute
• Ask for fewer pumps or no syrup
• Ask for a sugar-free syrup for fewer calories with the same amount of flavor
• Order a smaller sized drink
• Ask for less or no whip to save 80-110 extra calories
• Request nonfat or soy milk

And don’t forget, National Coffee Day is September 29th! So go grab that coffee and enjoy it, because that cup of coffee loves you right back!

Resources:

Ding, MS, Ming, Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju, PhD, Ambika Satija, BA, Rob M. Van Dam, PhD, and Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD. “Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.” Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. American Heart Association, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 June 2016. <http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/129/6/643.long?version=meter%2Bat%2Bnull&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click>.

Jiang X1, Zhang D, Jiang W. “Coffee and Caffeine Intake and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies.” PubMed.gov. NCBI, Feb. 2014. Web. 8 June 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24150256>.

Lieberman HR1, Tharion WJ, Shukitt-Hale B, Speckman KL, Tulley R. “Result Filters.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2002. Web. 08 June 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12424548>.

“Part D. Chapter 5: Food Sustainability and Safety – Continued.”Health.gov. ODPHP, n.d. Web. 08 June 2016. <http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/10-chapter-5/d5-4.asp>.

Van Dam RM1, Hu FB. “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2005. Web. 08 June 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15998896>.

Yoshihiro Kokubo, MD, PhD, FAHA; Hiroyasu Iso, MD, PhD; Isao Saito, MD, PhD; Kazumasa Yamagishi, MD, PhD; Hiroshi Yatsuya, MD, PhD; Junko Ishihara, PhD; Manami Inoue, MD, PhD; Shoichiro Tsugane, MD, PhD. “The Impact of Green Tea and Coffee Consumption on the Reduced Risk of Stroke Incidence in Japanese Population.” The Impact of Green Tea and Coffee Consumption on the Reduced Risk of Stroke Incidence in Japanese Population. American Heart