Hi everyone, Monica Reinagle, the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family, to be grateful for all we have, and to stuff ourselves silly.

Now I'm not really that concerned about the long-term consequences.

Because as I've said before, a single day of excess

isn't going to make you gain weight

any more than a one-day juice cleanse

is going to make you lose any significant amount of weight.

Nonetheless, it's just no fun to push yourself away from the table and realize

too late that you've eaten to the point of discomfort.

So here are five strategies that can help you enjoy this year's

festivities without regrets. And now here's Thanksgiving tip number one. Keep

the appetizers light. The traditional

Thanksgiving menu features a lot of heavy rich dishes, lots of starches,

creamy, casseroles, and everything is just dripping with butter and gravy, it's not a light meal.

Unfortunately, the pre-dinner snacks tend to be just as heavy and rich as the main event.

And all too often people sit down to dinner already half full

from the snacks they've been nibbling on all afternoon

while dinner is prepared.

So rather than filling up on calorie dense appetizers like

cheese and crackers, clam dip, nuts, and bacon wrapped pineapple chunks, try keeping

the pre-dinner snacks light.

Crispishes and snow peas with a yogurt-based dip,

...