Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

The best idea is to aim for fewer calories and create low fat Thanksgiving recipes, by altering your favorite recipes by stealth, so that you don't completely change the flavors and textures of these much-loved dishes.

Follow these hints to transform your usual holiday fare into healthy Thanksgiving recipes.

Turkey

• Simply prepared, roasted with the correct turkey cooking time and served on its own, turkey is a nutritious low fat meat. For the healthiest turkey dinner, roast the bird on a rack so that the fat drains off.
• Choose white breast meat without the skin for the healthiest option. The darker meat has a higher fat content.
• Use healthy turkey stuffing recipes. Cook stuffing or dressing in a separate pan, rather than inside the bird where it will absorb more fat.
• Skim as much fat as possible from the juices before you use them to make gravy. Thicken the gravy with corn starch rather than a mix of flour/butter.
• Use any remaining turkey in Healthy Leftover Turkey Recipes.

Potatoes

• Leave butter out of the mashed potatoes and moisten with low fat cream, chicken broth or skimmed milk instead. Use garlic and herbs to add flavor.
• Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins, but don't pile on the butter and sugar. Make a glaze from pineapple or orange juice thickened with corn starch, or add just a fine sprinkling of brown sugar.

Vegetables

• Serve fresh vegetable crudites as appetisers.
• You really can get away without slathering butter all over the vegetables. Dress lightly with a little olive oil or vinaigrette if you wish, and add fresh herbs to enhance the flavor.
• Make green bean casserole with low fat condensed soup, or serve beans steamed and dressed with fresh herbs such as dill or chervil. Rather than fried onion rings on top, use toasted almond shreds.
• Serve vegetables steamed or boiled rather than coated in rich cheesy sauces.

Accompaniments

• Do you really need bread rolls with such a heavy meal? 'Forget' to put them on the table, or if you do serve them, spread them lightly with a low calorie olive-oil based spread rather than butter.
• Cranberries are delicious, and you can lower the calorie count of cranberry relish by replacing some sugar with fresh orange juice.

Pumpkin pie

• Use phyllo (filo) pastry for a low fat crust, or make a crumb crust with low fat graham crackers (digestive biscuits).
• Use skim milk or low fat soya milk.
• Some recipes recommend that you sweeten your pie with a sugar substitute, but it's preferable to avoid the use of artificial products for a really healthy diet, so cut the fat as much as you can and sweeten with sugar as usual - and limit the calorie intake by cutting into small slices to serve!

Dinner time

• In the hours before the big meal, have a breakfast of wholewheat cereal or toast and some fresh fruit.
• Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before you sit down to eat. It will take the edge off your hunger.
• Less is more when it comes to the Thanksgiving dinner. Resist the temptation to pile your plate, but take just a little of all the foods you love - you'll still have a satisfying meal.

With a little planning, you can make your usual recipes into healthy Thanksgiving recipes. Whatever you do, enjoy the meal, and make the most of this once-a-year occasion.

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