8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (2024)

Nov182016

Get this: Americans eat around 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. Lighten up your feast with these calorie-slashed swaps! Occasionally unconventional, but always delicious...

Toasty Marshmallow Sweet Potato Skins

1/10th of recipe (1 skin): 74 calories, <0.5g total fat (0g sat. fat), 94mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 7.5g sugars, 1g protein

SmartPoints® value 3*

Move over, sweet potato pie... There's a tasty new sheriff in town! You'll save lots of calories by opting for these mallow-adorned 'taterskins. Want something a little more traditional? Try our Sans Sweet Potato Casserole, made with butternut squash!

Rockin' Lean Bean Casserole

1/8th of casserole: 95 calories, 2.5g total fat (0.5g sat. fat), 539mg sodium, 16g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 5g sugars, 3.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 2*

We all have that one relative who'll throw a huge fit if there's not a creamy green-bean dish on the table. To satisfy their need without the excess calories, try this HG classic! Onion-flavored soy crisps or popped chips are the perfect replacement for those fatty fried onions.

8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (3)

Bacon Cornbread Muffins

1/12th of recipe (1 muffin): 174 calories, 3g total fat (1.5g sat. fat), 422mg sodium, 28.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 11g sugars, 8.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 6*

Good news: There's no need to banish freshly baked bread from the table. Just stick with this lightened-up, flavor-packed cornbread! The best part? Built-in portion control, since it's baked up in a muffin pan. Get ready to wow the crowd with these sweet 'n savory muffins...

Holiday Stuffed Portabellas

1/6th of recipe (1 stuffed mushroom): 188 calories, 2.5g total fat (0.5g sat. fat), 449mg sodium, 38.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 14g sugars, 6.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 5*

No one is disputing that a) stuffing is great and b) Thanksgiving's not quite right without it. But stuffing is so darn calorie dense, and it's too easy to go overboard with it! Enter this recipe. Perfectly portioned, and the mushroom base makes it mega filling. Another great option is this recipe for Cornbread Stuffin' Muffins. Yes!

8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (5)

Twice-Baked Cheesy Acorn Squash

1/4th of recipe (1 stuffed squash half): 177 calories, 6g total fat (3g sat. fat), 288mg sodium, 27g carbs, 4g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 6.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 3*

Decadent stuffed squash recipes are totally in season, but they don't have to be stuffed with a silly number of calories. We adore this cheesy squash dish, and so will your family. Multiply the simple recipe to feed a crowd of any size. Acorn squash is amazing, people... Trust us!

Roasted Veggie Mac & Cheese

1/4th of recipe (about 1 1/2 cups): 217 calories, 4.5g total fat (2.5g sat. fat), 600mg sodium, 34g carbs, 5.5g fiber, 6g sugars, 11.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 6*

Mac & cheese might be the ultimate comfort food, and comfort food is the name of the game on Thanksgiving. Roasting veggies is one of the best ways to enhance their flavor, so why not bulk up your mac with roasty broccoli and cauliflower? Yum! Wanna make mac in the slow cooker? No problem...

8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (7)

Cherry Cranberry Sauce

1/12th of recipe (about 1/3 cup): 33 calories, 0g total fat (0g sat. fat), 25mg sodium, 11.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 4.5g sugars, 1.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 0*

Halloween has passed for the year, but if you want a good scare, check out how much sugar is in a 1/4-cup serving of standard cranberry sauce: 22 grams! That's more than the amount in 8 Hershey's Kisses. Would you put 8 Hershey's Kisses over your turkey? No way! This cranberry sauce recipe gets its sweetness from real fruit and natural no-calorie sweetener. A much better choice.

Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/8th of recipe (1 slice): 143 calories, 5.5g total fat (3.5g sat. fat), 299mg sodium, 18g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 5.5g sugars, 10.5g protein

SmartPoints® value 5*

Fact: We'd rather spend calories on cheese than crust, and we're pretty sure we're not the only ones. So we created this amazing pumpkin cheesecake sans crust, with a topping of crushed graham crackers to finish it off. For a more traditional pumpkin pie, check out this recipe. It also rocks the crustless, crumbs-on-top format -- just the way we like it!

Chew on this:

November is National Georgia Pecan Month. Pecan pie fans should have a batch of these babies on standby…

Quick, before your buddies spend another second in pre-holiday panic: Click "Send to a Friend" right now.

8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (9)

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*The WW Points®values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsem*nt or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by WW International, Inc., the owner of thePoints® trademark.

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8 Healthy Recipe Swaps for Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest food to eat on Thanksgiving? ›

While each of us has our own favorites, keep in mind that some holiday foods are better choices than others. 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.

What is the healthy meat for Thanksgiving? ›

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.

How to have a healthy Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Healthy Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving
  1. Avoid skipping meals. ...
  2. Be conscious of portions. ...
  3. Avoid running to the sofa after finishing a meal. ...
  4. Enjoy the moment, do not punish yourself. ...
  5. Mix in a few healthy alternatives in your holiday recipes. ...
  6. Avoid holiday shopping when hungry. ...
  7. Eat slowly. ...
  8. Think of color when cooking.
Nov 18, 2022

What is the unhealthiest food on Thanksgiving? ›

Here are some worst and best picks to think about.
  • Worst: Dark Meat with Skin. Dark turkey meat with skin is high in protein, but it's not lean. ...
  • Worst: Canned Cranberry Sauce. ...
  • Worst: Prepared Creamy Salad. ...
  • Worst: Candied Yams. ...
  • Worst: Corn Casserole. ...
  • Worst: Mashed Potatoes with Gravy. ...
  • Worst: Alcohol. ...
  • Worst: Eating Too Much.
Nov 14, 2023

What can I serve at Thanksgiving instead of turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What is the least eaten food on Thanksgiving? ›

The Least Popular Thanksgiving Foods, Ranked
  • Sweet Potatoes or Yams — 25.12%
  • Stuffing/Dressing. — 22.33%
  • Pumpkin Pie. — 21.44%
  • Carrots. — 16.95%
  • Mashed Potatoes. — 15.45%
  • Corn. — 14.36%
  • Macaroni and Cheese. — 14.36%
  • Apple Pie. — 12.86%

What meat is not processed? ›

Fresh chicken, turkey, beef, pork and fish that have not been modified are considered unprocessed meats.

How do you make a healthy Thanksgiving plate? ›

Start by filling half your plate with vegetables, then pile one-quarter up with turkey breast, and leave the remaining one-quarter for starchy sides. Here, some more expert-approved guidelines for keeping portions in check this Thanksgiving Day.

What is a must for Thanksgiving dinner? ›

The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie. But the way these dishes are made or added to is everchanging because of food trends and different dietary requirements.

What is the key ingredient to a perfect Thanksgiving Day dinner? ›

If you are serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, you would need turkey with dressing and gravy to start. You would need mash potatoes and green bean casserole. You would need sweet potatoes and cranberry in some form. You would want something for dessert like pumpkin pie and apple pie.

What is better to eat than turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

How to make a low calorie Thanksgiving plate? ›

Start by filling half your plate with vegetables, then pile one-quarter up with turkey breast, and leave the remaining one-quarter for starchy sides. Here, some more expert-approved guidelines for keeping portions in check this Thanksgiving Day.

What Thanksgiving food is low in calories? ›

Foods like white turkey meat, roasted veggies, salad, sweet potato casseroles, thin gravy, and pumpkin pie are usually the healthiest options on the table, however, eating everything in moderation is always the healthiest thing you can do.

Is turkey healthy on Thanksgiving? ›

The American Heart Association said turkey will likely be one of the healthiest choices on your Thanksgiving menu. “Turkey is a great source of protein, rich in many vitamins and minerals, and is low-fat — if you don't eat the skin,” Catherine M.

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