According to a report based on USDA estimates, there may be some health concerns linked to what you eat for Thanksgiving. In the usual case, it might be adequate portions of the turkey itself (including the skin), candied yams and mashed potatoes with gravy, fancy bread with butter and a couple of slices of pumpkin pie or other types of dessert. The USDA counts the calories in this typical turkey meal as 1813 calories, leaving less than 200 calories for our total for the day.

The aforementioned figure leaves out appetizers and beverages. For instance, deviled eggs which seem like just a few bites would 77 calories and a glass of red wine another 125 calories, the USDA estimated.

A Vanderbilt University dietitian, Jessica Bennett, said Thanksgiving signals a holiday feasting pattern, which can be harmful to health. "What I see a lot is they enjoy it and make excuses all throughout the holiday and then want to start something drastic in January," said Bennett in a report by Newschannel9.

One of the ways to avoid eating everything in sight, is to go and look at the buffet and get an idea for what's on the Thanksgiving Day food list before actually eating the meal. The next step is self-explanatory: Only eat the kind of foods you like. Thanksgiving may not be the time to try new menus that you're unsure of. The most important step to avoiding everything on Thanksgiving Day food menu is not to eat on an empty-stomach.

Apart from that, eating a medium-calorie breakfast and lunch with fruits and nuts as snacks would adequately buffer any hunger pangs before the big turkey meal. Drinking water is another good tool to prevent overeating and loading those calories.

Eating slowly also enables a person to detect if he is full and eating with the hand that you normally do not use for eating would help to slow down while eating.

It is not uncommon for people to gain a pound or two during the holiday season, reported WJBRadio.