As seen on KTHV 11

You can have your health and eat your turkey, too. 

The key to balancing your Thanksgiving diet turns out to be quite simple: portion control. Dietician Jordan Howard advises to start your plate with vegetables. Veggies should take up half your plate while turkey should be about one quarter of it. As for dressing? "Dressing is just that: it's dressing for your meal. It's not meant to be the main course," said Howard.

When it comes to desserts, the rule of portion control still applies. "If you're gonna have a piece of pie, you know, you don't have to hurt your grandma's feelings and not eat the pie," Howard advises. "Split that pie with someone else."  

According to Dr. George Hutchison, emergency medical services director at  CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, we shouldn't take overeating lightly even on Turkey Day. "That's the day people eat. So there's lots of things that people do to themselves on Thanksgiving."

Indigestion in people with heart problems brings them to the ER because they fear heart attack. Diabetics' blood sugar levels get out of whack and there are many cases of high blood pressure caused by high salt intake.  

To mitigate this, Dr. Hutchinson offered one piece of advice: Back off a little bit. "Leave the table when you're satisfied, not when you're stuffed. You're not a turkey."

So enjoy your favorite dishes this Thanksgiving just eat in moderation. 

Learn more about Dr. George Hutchison and CHI St. Vincent Infirmary.