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Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of winter weight-gain season, the first in a string of food-focused gatherings that can quickly pile on the pounds. Not to worry. Our plan involves some fitness training for the big day and an exercise in decision making — where to indulge, what to skip, and how to have a little taste of everything, all without the guilt. In other words, ideas you'll be thankful for. Have a healthy Thanksgiving!

Food safety is the first priority when preparing healthy recipes on Thanksgiving. Follow these tips.

Buy fresh turkey before its "sell by" date; cook within two days.
If frozen, thaw in the fridge (24 hours per 5 pounds), never on the counter.
Roast until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees. For safety and ease, bake stuffing separately.
Bake pies with egg and milk fillings, such as pumpkin pie, to 160 degrees, then refrigerate.
Reheat any precooked dishes at 325 degrees until they reach 165 degrees or are steaming hot.
Keep cold foods in the fridge until dinner. Buffet foods can stay out for two hours; after that, they enter the "danger zone" between 40 degrees (cold foods start to warm up) and 140 degrees (cooked foods lose heat), in which bacteria grow.

Use this do-ahead healthy recipe for chicken stock to moisten stuffing, baste the turkey, and braise pearl onions — and sip it to curb hunger pangs while you're cooking! Short on time? Choose low-sodium canned broth.

2 pounds carrots, 1/2 pound parsnips peeled, trimmed, and cut in half
4 celery stalks, trimmed and cut in half
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
3 sprigs fresh dill (if available)
3 pounds chicken, quartered

Bring 6 quarts of water and all ingredients except the chicken to a rapid boil. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Add the chicken, bring back to a boil, cover and simmer for another 1 1/2 hours. Cool and remove chicken and vegetables; strain broth into containers. Freeze if preparing more than three days in advance. Yields about 5 quarts.

Roast turkey on a rack so that the fat will drain off.
Buy French baguettes (they're made without fat or sugar) for stuffing; serve instead of high-calorie dinner rolls.
To bring out their natural sweetness without the added sugar, roast — don't boil — sweet potatoes.
Replace mashed potatoes with low-cal squash. Red kuri, butternut, and Hubbard puree well.
Lighten your string bean casserole by skipping the cream soup and moving it to the stovetop. Slowly sauté with onions until they caramelize; top with slivered almonds.
Make your own vitamin C-rich cranberry sauce in 15 minutes; using artificial sweetener instead of sugar yields half the calories of canned sauce.
Flavor food with spices (not sugars) like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Too much salt can cause your body to retain water and make you feel bloated. And if that's not reason enough to cut back, nearly one in three Americans has hypertension, and nearly a third of those people don't even know it. Reduce salt in your Thanksgiving recipes, or use herbs to enhance natural flavors. You should also avoid buying a "self-basting" turkey that's injected with a high-sodium solution, and be sure to check sodium labels when choosing canned vegetables.

Help guests get their veggie RDA (recommended daily allowance) by offering a platter of crudités, like baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and button mushrooms that don't require any more prep than a good rinse. For a great dip, just open a container of your favorite hummus. Or blend equal amounts of reduced-fat sour cream and low-fat yogurt with fresh herbs like dill and chives; for a chunkier texture, add a package of chopped spinach and/or a cup of diced artichoke hearts. Halve the calories of white wine by serving spritzers with equal amounts of wine and sparkling water.

Eat breakfast. Starving yourself could backfire and start a binge.
Be choosy. Before loading up your plate, survey the buffet and pick only those foods you really crave, like oyster stuffing or candied yams.
Take small samplings of a wide variety of dishes. Savor that bite and pass on seconds — remind yourself that more won't taste any better.
Pace yourself at the table, and stop eating before you feel full. A recent study shows that eating quickly leads to weight gain.
Make time for conversation. Put down the fork before you talk.
Don't go overboard. Sure, it's just one day. But between parties, dinners, and get-togethers, a month's worth of overindulging occasions lie ahead

Facing a tempting buffet? Make yourself a sampler — with slivers, not slices, of your favorites. Or, try these calorie-cutting healthy recipes.

Use French-style tarts to cut the amount of piecrust in half; crisps made with fruit and a crumb topping have even less dough. (If it's really the filling you love, skip the crust altogether.)
Try a trifle. Alternate layers of fresh fruit chunks with fat-free ladyfingers and sugar-free vanilla or banana pudding; diet pudding also makes a great substitute for mascarpone in tiramisu and as a sauce for poached pears or baked apples.
Let them eat torte. Try a recipe that calls for ground nuts and egg white layers — it's more nutritious than recipes with a butter and flour base.

Without realizing it, you can easily pack in a pound's worth of calories — yes, 3,500 — at Thanksgiving dinner. Considering that 60 minutes of biking at 10 mph burns only about 300 calories, it's hard to undo so much overeating in one day. Try adding another 30 minutes of daily activity during the week before Thanksgiving. Maintain the habit throughout the season to burn off all the extra calories you'll be eating. To avoid cramps, never exercise on a full stomach.

Celebrate Thanksgiving as it was intended, as a special time to spend with family and friends. Following these tips, as part of a larger effort to eat healthily, allows you to indulge smartly on occasion without suffering a major setback. And if you do overdo it, develop a day-after plan before you go to sleep. Decide on a light yet nourishing breakfast, a brisk workout, and a renewed outlook — getting back on track, not feeling guilty, is your game plan.

9 Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving By Julie Davis

Healthy Thanksgiving