At about four in the morning, before the sun has even risen tomorrow morning, Erin Tyler's mom will get out of her bed, make her way into the kitchen and prepare Thanksgiving dinner for her family.
Tyler, a graduate student in school psychology, said she sees her mom's food as a symbol of families being together and being thankful.She said her favorite food is the dressing.
"I only have it once a year," she said. "The way my mom makes it with sage, it's kind of spicy."
Natasha Britton, senior integrative studies major, said like most people her favorite Thanksgiving food is the dressing.
"Dressing in general makes you think of Thanksgiving," Britton said. "If you don't have it, Thanksgiving feels incomplete."
This is not the case, however, with senior broadcast major Heather Clements.
"Ever since my aunt put oysters in the dressing, I'm scared to eat hers, and she's the only one that makes it," Clements said. "Even though it's (the oysters) not there, you can still taste it."
Instead her favorite dish is the one she prepares -- macaroni and cheese -- which she describes as, "nice and soft."
She said it's better than the store-bought kind that comes in a box with powered cheese.
Hers, she said, has a variety of noodles, which she bakes. She uses Velveeta cheese that she cuts into blocks and at least a half a cup of milk.
The whole process takes about two hours. "It's worth the wait because I make it," she said.
The food also helps Clements get closer to her family. She said each member of her family prepares their own dish. Everyone except her Uncle Bucky -- he only brings his appetite.
"He's the first one in line, and the last one to leave," She said. Clements said while she's eating something one of her family members made, she thinks of the memories she has with that person.
The holidays, Clement said, is also a time when you can eat a little extra without feeling guilty. She said it's the only time that it feels OK to gain a couple of extra pounds.
According to Jacqueline De Fouw, health educator at The University of Memphis, people traditionally eat more and gain a few pounds around the holidays.
However, she said there are ways to enjoy seasonal foods and traditions without having the negative effects.
"Try to cook foods in monounsaturated fats like olive oil, or the lower polyunsaturated fats, which would be canola oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil," De Fouw said.
She said to substitute butter and lard for those oils to get away from the dangerous fats.
Moderation, balance and variety are goods ways to approach your Thanksgiving dinner, she said.
That includes having a lot of different colors on your plate, not forgetting to eat fruits and vegetables and eating things in their raw state, which can sometimes be more filling than the cooked version. On the chance that you might over stuff yourself this Thanksgiving and feel the uncomfortable consequences, De Fouw offers some advice.
After you finish your feast, she said, "walk, exercise, go downtown and walk around the river. Be active."
