Thinning Down Thanksgiving

posted by Darlene DeWitt, MS, RD, LD on Monday, November 25, 2024

Thanksgiving is a time to bring out cherished family recipes and gather around the table with loved ones. However, it's also the start of a season when many people gain weight, with the average American reportedly putting on a few pounds over the holidays. But it doesn't have to be that way! By making some simple swaps, you can enjoy your favorite dishes while keeping your waistline in check this Thanksgiving and beyond. Let's take a look at a traditional menu and how you can "Thin Down Thanksgiving"!

The Traditional Turkey: Turkey is a low calorie, lean protein rich in B-Vitamins, which are beneficial for energy production and the production of red blood cells. Roasting your turkey with herbs and spices and a light coating of canola oil to crisp the skin will keep this thanksgiving tradition heart healthy.

Potatoes: Potatoes are great sources of potassium and fiber. Sweet potatoes have an added benefit of being high in beta carotene, which is an antioxidant and helps with healthy eyes. Mashing your potatoes with low fat milk and margarine can help keep added saturated fat at bay. Try roasting garlic and adding it to your potatoes when you mash them for an immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory kick. You can also add a little texture to sweet potatoes by topping them with walnuts or pecans, which are high in magnesium and heart healthy fat.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Instead of loading up on brown sugar and marshmallows, try increasing spices and nuts/seeds to increase flavor. Use lower fat dairy to reduce saturated fat, and add nuts and dried fruit to increase fiber.

Ingredients:
7 cups cubed and peeled sweet potatoes (2 lb)
½ cup skim milk or fat free half and half
5 TBSP lite Tub Margarine
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
¼ cup chopped dried fruit such as cherries, dates or raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Bring an inch or two of water to a boil in a large pot with steamer basket. Add sweet potatoes, cover and steam until very soft, 18-20 min
3. Remove basket and discard water. Return sweet potatoes to the pot. Add milk, 4 TBSP margarine, seasonings and mash until desired consistency.
4. Transfer to a 1 ½ quart baking dish.
5. Stir pecans, pepitas, dried fruit and remaining 1 TBSP margarine together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of sweet potatoes.
6. Bake casserole until hot and nuts are lightly toasted, 20-30 min

NUTRITION FACTS: ½ cup: 180 calories, 2.5 gm fat, 2 gm sat fat, 20 gm carbohydrate, 5 gm fiber, 4 gm protein, 280 mg sodium

Source: modified from Eating well test kitchen

Cranberries: This versatile fruit is high in several types of antioxidants as well as a good source of fiber and Vitamin C. The traditional jellied cranberry sauce is easy to make from scratch. By substituting some of the sugar with Splenda, you can reduce the added sugars in this traditional side.

Green Bean Casserole: Green beans contain Vitamin C, B vitamins and fiber. To make it more heart healthy, use Campbell’s Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup. You can kick up other flavors like onion and garlic powder and pepper to mask the lower sodium content. By making these swaps, you cut the sodium, fat and saturated fat by 30-40%.

Healthified Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cans no-salt-added green beans (or frozen)
1 can Heart Healthy Cream of Mushroom soup
¾ c skim milk
1-1/2 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
¾ cup crispy fried onions

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except crispy fried onions together. Pour into a 2 Qt casserole Dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. Sprinkle w/ crispy onions and bake for another 5 min until they are golden brown.

NUTRITION FACTS: per ½ cup: 80 calories, 128 mg sodium, 2.5 gm fat, .8 gm saturated fat, 2 gm protein, 7 gm carbohydrates

Pumpkin: This winter squash is a great source of Vitamin A and potassium. You can lighten your pie by using evaporated skim milk and substituting half the sugar with Splenda. How about going crustless? Serve healthy and fun parfaits to avoid the crust!

Pumpkin Parfait

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 (4 serving) package instant sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup skim milk

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, evaporated milk and skim milk. Blend together until smooth; place in parfait glasses and chill until set.

Servings: 6
Yield: 6 - 1/2 cup servings

NUTRITION FACTS: per ½ cup serving: 72 calories, 0 gm fat, 261 mg sodium, 13 gm total carb, 7 gm sugars, 1 gm fiber, 5 gm protein

Here are some additional simple swaps that can help make a difference in your waistline this Thanksgiving, and all year long!

Instead of:	Try This:
Butter	Tub Margarine or canola oil
Whole Milk	Fat free half and half or evaporated milk
Sugar	Splenda (amount varies based on your taste)
Heavy Whipping Cream	1/2 the amount of nonfat Greek yogurt
All Purpose Flour	Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (To get more nutrition)
	Almond Flour (To reduce Carbs)
Sweetened Condensed Milk	1/3 C. powdered milk + 1/3 C. hot water, 2 tsp Splenda
Butter and sugar (in muffins or quick breads)	1 cup butter = use ½ c applesauce, ½ cup oil, and reduce sugar by 1/3
White Rice	Brown rice (instant varieties cook faster)
Salt	Ms. Dash blends, Reduced sodium salt
80/20 or 73/27 Ground Beef	90/10 or 93/7 ground beef or ground turkey
Pork Sausage	Turkey sausage (It is lower sodium and fat)
Regular Cream of Mushroom Soup	Heart Healthy Cream of Mushroom (increase non-salt seasonings to add flavor)

We wish you a happy & healthy Thanksgiving this year!