According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American will consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day, a feat worthy of competitive eating accolades on any other day. We imagine you’ll want turkey. Cranberry sauce. Potatoes, sure. Gravy. Maybe some veggies on the side. Oh, and pie?! But just by making a couple of smart at-the-table swaps you could eat to your heart’s content and still take in 700 fewer calories than you did last year. Now that’s something to be thankful for! Eat this: Turkey Breast with Homemade Cranberry Sauce Not that: Dark Turkey Meat with Jellied Cranberry Sauce Dark meat is about twice as fatty as white meat and homemade cranberry sauce cuts the sugar by a considerable amount.
Eat this: Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy
Not That: Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows on Top Sweet potatoes lose their nutritional value once they’re covered with marshmallows. Mashed potatoes on the other hand with low-fat milk and a little butter are a better route.
Eat this: Dinner Roll with Butter
Not that: Cornbread with Butter Sweeter, saltier, and you can rest assured it is fatter than a regular roll, it is best to avoid cornbread this year (so depending on how you make your stuffing, that’s going to have to be passed as well). Just a little bit of butter helps lower the glycemic index of a roll – meaning the carbs will have less of an effect on blood sugar.
Eat this: Pumpkin Pie with Low-fat Whipped Cream
Not that: Pecan Pie The healthy fat from the pecans is not enough to justify the extra load of corn syrup calories. In the world of pies, pumpkin ranks among one of the lower-calorie slices. So you can have your pumpkin pie and eat it too. For more Healthy Suggestions for the holidays, click the link!