Many years ago, I attended a Weight Watchers meeting around Thanksgiving. I vividly remember the Weight Watchers instructor talking about the traditional dishes served on this day, giving suggestions on how to make them a bit healthier.
All of a sudden a very loud, heated discussion began about which was healthier, white, or dark turkey meat. Calorie guesses were shouted out, along with the suspected fat content, and health benefits of these two options. The longer it went, the more opinionated and boisterous it got. Finally, the Weight Watchers instructor quietly said, “Ladies, no one is here because of the turkey that you ate last Thanksgiving.”
Complete silence. She was right. I spent many Thanksgiving dinners at my Aunt Barb’s in Fredericktown, a small community in Knox County. Aunt Barb was a wonderful cook and never disappointed us with her tried and true dishes as well as the new things she prepared each year. Never once did I hear the words, “low-sodium, low-calorie, fat-free, or light” come out of her kitchen. I thought about asking her for her Thanksgiving recipes, but I am pretty sure she never used any.
One day of making poor choices will probably not haunt you for the rest of the year. But if you can eat a little healthier on this day, it might be worth a try, and hey, if you save calories by munching on white meat, instead of the dark, you might be able to squeeze in that extra piece of pumpkin pie.
If you would like to serve a healthier spread for Thanksgiving, you certainly have lots of choices. What do you think is a healthier choice, green bean casserole or sweet potato casserole? Green bean casserole is usually a better pick because green beans are so low-calorie to start with. The sweet potato may be better for you, but it is all the extra brown sugar, butter and marshmallows that will get you in trouble.
Which is the healthier choice, pumpkin or apple pie? Pumpkin pie is usually a little lower in calories, and if you use whipped topping instead of ice cream, you are going to save even more calories.
Jellied cranberries or gravy? Gravy has less calories than the cranberries and may not have the added sugars that the cranberry dish has. Traditional stuffing or a dinner roll with butter? If you are looking strictly at calories, your best bet is to go with the dinner roll and a small pat of butter. If you have to have stuffing, just try to make it a small serving.
And the age-old question, white meat, or dark meat? A 3-ounce serving of white turkey meat has about 50 calories less than a serving of dark meat and will also cut down about four grams of fat.
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
Other healthy tips for Thanksgiving days:
- Eat more slowly. It takes the body about 15 minutes to register food and indicate fullness levels. By eating quickly, it is possible to stuff more in your body than is needed, but the fullness will not register until it is too late. By slowing down, you can be better aware of how full you are and avoid overeating.
- Take smaller servings. Start by filling your plate with a smaller amount of food than usual, and only go back for seconds if you still feel hungry.
- Use reduced-sodium products. There are many products on the market today that have less sodium than the standard product. For example, green beans for green bean casserole. Buying reduced-sodium canned beans or rinsing regular canned beans can significantly reduce the amount of sodium consumed. Look for lower-sodium versions of gravy and stuffing as well.
- Consider making healthier substitutions. Although often met with resistance when it comes to traditions, consider substituting one of the usual holiday dishes with a healthy upgrade. For example, a great alternative to stuffing is a wild rice and mushroom dish. Instead of pumpkin pie, try pumpkin spice frozen yogurt. Substitute white dinner rolls with whole grain rolls.
- Practice light exercise after the meal. Getting outside for a short walk after eating will help your body digest the food more quickly and will also prevent you from hanging around the dinner table. Take a walk, play with your grandchildren, or take your dog for a stroll.
Recipe: Thyme Bread Stuffing
Makes 8 servings
90 calories per serving
Ingredients:
½ cup celery
2 tablespoons onion freshly chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups breadcrumbs or cubes
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook celery, onion, and parsley in butter until tender.
2. Mix lightly with remaining ingredients.
3. Bake covered during last hour of turkey roasting.
Tip: For moist stuffing add 1 tablespoon of turkey broth per cup of unstuffed turkey
Recipe: Turkey Rice Soup
Makes 6 servings
160 calories per serving
Ingredients:
3 cups turkey broth
½ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup carrots, chopped
16 ounce can tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup rice, uncooked
2 cups turkey, cooked, diced
Directions:
1. Heat broth to boiling.
2. Add vegetables, seasoning, rice, and turkey.
3. Cover and cook slowly 15 minutes, until vegetables and rice are tender.
Recipe: Turkey Salad
Makes 6 servings
80 calories per serving
Ingredients:
3 cups turkey cooked and diced
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup pickles, sweet, chopped
½ cup carrot, chopped
½ cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Mix turkey, celery, pickles, and carrots together.
2. Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.
3. Gently stir salad dressing into turkey mixture.
4. Chill thoroughly.
Interested in free nutrition education classes from the Ohio State University Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program? Contact Nancy Lyons at 937-224-9654 or lyons.489@osu.edu