Main Dish
For starters, try to make the turkey you eat at Thanksgiving as healthful as possible. Instead of the fatty dark meat from legs and thighs, eat the leaner breast meat to save calories. Feeling especially ambitious? Give up the skin, too. If that’s a sacrifice you can’t make, then go easy on the gravy to account for the extra fat.
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Sides
Sides are another way to quickly add calories. Mashed potatoes are loaded with butter and cream. Sweet potato casserole is usually full of sugar from the marshmallow topping, which, let’s be honest, is usually the best part. Making mashed sweet potatoes with a little butter and cinnamon is a way to get traditional flavor that’s better for you.
It’s impossible to deny the popularity of the green bean casserole. Most Americans view it as a necessity atevery table. However the ingredients include cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions, and they equal large amounts of fat. Go for steamed, sauteed or roasted vegetables with minimum amounts of oil. They’re a low-calorie way to fill up at Thanksgiving and avo id overeating.
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Desserts
A good dessert is one of the classic Thanksgiving traditions. While each family has their own special pies and cakes to make, there are some treats that show up at tables everywhere. Fortunately for its legions of fans, pumpkin pie, a Thanksgiving classic, is a relatively safe option. Compared to its much worse cousin, the pecan pie, pumpkin is practically sinless. Avoid whipped cream and ice cream with that pie, and you’ll cut calories considerably.
Overall Thanksgiving gets a bad rap for a day that’s supposed to be just that – one day of celebration. The best way to have a successful Thanksgiving dinner without having to unbutton your pants halfway through is to go in with a plan like this one.