From delectable hors d’oeuvres and heady adult beverages to rich main courses and decadent desserts, Thanksgiving food traditions entice us all. The pleasure is only enhanced, in most cases, by the opportunity to share them with special friends and family.
But for Mainers watching their diets, the food-fixated Thanksgiving holiday can also bring anxiety and the threat of sabotage to carefully developed eating plans. And while some people slim down for cosmetic reasons, for others a conscientious food plan is an essential daily practice that aids in the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and other conditions.
“Some people have some very specific dietary concerns,” Mikiko Marzilli, a clinical dietitian at the Eastern Maine Medical Center Surgical Weight Loss Center in Bangor, said. “They can get nervous about the holiday … and about people asking them questions about why they’re not eating specific foods.”
For example, she said, people who have undergone weight-reduction surgery may only be able to consume tiny portions or completely avoid rich foods such as pie or gravy to avoid becoming acutely ill.
Other people with chronic illness have a strict salt limitation, are unable to tolerate fatty foods or have other serious diet considerations, she said.
