8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest food for Thanksgiving? ›

Go for small amounts of cooked squash, sweet potato, white potato, beans and carrots. Try to use whole-grain breads and cereals whenever possible; they are rich in fiber and the B vitamins that are not so abundant in simple carbohydrates (white and refined grains, cereals, flours and starches).

Worst: Sausage Stuffing

It's often made with fatty processed meat, butter or margarine, and refined bread or rice. It's a high-calorie food that packs a load of fat, carbs, and nitrates, which are cancer-causing. If you add dried cranberries, there's a good chance they're sweetened and add sugar to your stuffing.

Other poultry candidates include rich and fatty duck or roasted chicken, both of which will stand in seamlessly and pair perfectly with classic Thanksgiving sides. There are also cuts of beef to consider such as prime rib, beef tenderloin, brisket or pot roast.

Both chicken and turkey are lean proteins, especially if you avoid dark meat. Turkey breast and chicken breast both have about 26 g of protein in each 3 oz serving, according to USDA data, making them an excellent source of protein. Chicken breast has only slightly more fat, with 3 g to turkey's 2 g per serving.

You can continue the day by hosting a Friendsgiving dinner or movie night with your pals who are still in town. When it comes to food, you can cook a mini turkey for one or ditch Thanksgiving dinner altogether and order take-out at a local restaurant.

What's Bugging You? There are all sorts of killer bacteria found in turkey flesh, including salmonella and campylobacter.

"For the third year in a row, cranberry sauce takes first place as the most disliked traditional Thanksgiving food. Over 31% of respondents, 82 million American adults, do not want cranberry sauce for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Why is Thanksgiving food so unhealthy? ›

Thanksgiving can really do a number on the digestive system (evidently mostly a number two). “The foods we eat on Thanksgiving tend to be fried, fatty or processed. Then there's the sheer amount of how much people eat. All of this can lead to bloating, constipation or diarrhea,” said Dr.

Deli-sliced meat will be the healthiest option because of the low ingredient list – take this Boar's Head Premium Lower Sodium turkey, for example, which contains only “Turkey breast, water, less than 1.5% of salt, sugar, sodium phosphate.”

Lean cuts of beef: Opt for lean cuts like sirloin, tenderloin, or eye of round. These cuts have less fat compared to fattier cuts like ribeye or T-bone. Pork tenderloin: Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat that is low in fat and calories. It can be a good alternative to chicken and turkey.