30 Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes That Don't Taste Like Cardboard — We Promise (2024)

FAQs

How can I make Thanksgiving more healthy? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals. This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors.

Choosing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, salads, and other foods with lots of water and fiber add to the feeling of fullness. Don't forget those alcohol calories that can add up quickly.

White turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, defatted gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories.

Try it out on Thanksgiving by substituting tofu for your turkey. Tofu can be cooked in a variety of flavorful ways and comes with a ton of nutritional benefits including a lot of calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B, and protein.

The National Day of Mourning is an annual demonstration, held on the fourth Thursday in November, that aims to educate the public about Native Americans in the United States, notably the Wampanoag and other tribes of the Eastern United States; dispel myths surrounding the Thanksgiving story in the United States; and ...

Rustveld suggests air frying your turkey as a healthier alternative to deep frying. It takes less time at 400 degrees, and the end product contains less fat since you do not need to add oil. “Deep frying is not as healthy as air frying, roasting or grilling,” he said.

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.”

Ground beef has 2.4 grams more protein and has slightly less cholesterol and more iron and zinc than ground turkey. All in all, whether buying ground beef or ground turkey, the important thing is to buy at least 93/7 lean-to-fat ratio.

What is the most popular Thanksgiving dish in the US? ›

The answers varied widely across the different parts of the country. Across the board, eighty-three percent of respondents said the turkey was the best dishes on the table. Some other national favorites include mashed potatoes (78 percent), stuffing or dressing (77 percent), and bread and rolls (74 percent).

The traditional turkey-day feast, replete with fatty, high-cholesterol foods like drumsticks, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, is generally anything but heart-healthy. Try a healthy roasted turkey and gravy recipe for your Thanksgiving meal.

LOSE THE BREAD AND ADD EXTRA VEGETABLES

Instead, add more of your favorite filling vegetables to your plate. You'll be eating more food for fewer calories. In comparison, a cup of roasted Brussels sprouts will only cost you 56 calories.