Healthy Thanksgiving Food Alternatives

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and you probably already have visions of turkeys, stuffing and gravy dancing through your head. Maybe you’re also thinking about how many calories are involved in such a feast, or how bloated you might feel after (remember to take your time with each bite to savor the flavor, and don’t overdo portions).

Skin Your Turkey Breast

RealSimple.com explains that turkey itself is relatively low in calories, but only if you stick with skinless white meat (consider buying turkey breast only, rather than a whole bird with dark meat).

While a regular recommended serving of turkey is about 3-ounces, it’s okay to push this boundary a bit with the skinless turkey, it adds. Instead of eating the equivalent of a deck of cards in turkey, go for closer to 2-decks, it suggests.

Stuff the Stuffing

Stuffing is the stuff of nice dreams, and it’s a mainstay on most people’s Thanksgiving plates. However, there are alternatives to the traditional bread stuffing that will leave you feeling stuffed and your taste buds satisfied, explains TheKitchn.com.

These 5-gluten free alternatives from the source include wild rice (which goes well with dried fruits), sticky rice, quinoa, oatmeal, or a gluten-free cornbread version of stuffing. It even shares a recipe from Silvana Nardone for a gluten-free apple-pecan cornbread stuffing that looks devine.

Try Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Sure, most people like some wine with their dinner, as well as maybe some cocktails and beer before and after. But we probably don’t have to tell you how much sugar comes from alcohol, as well as carbs (hint: it’s a lot).

Luckily, SeriousEats.com has 7-non alcoholic drink recipes just in time for Thanksgiving. Samples include sparkling sumac lemonade, mulled cider shrub, orange and mint sparkler, fizzy pear ginger punch, and even a blueberry lime Rickey. These all promise to be fun and delicious. Also, avoiding alcohol means you don’t have to arrange alternate transportation home.

Say Goodbye to Pie

What? No pumpkin pie, you ask? It’s going to be okay. That’s because EveryDay Health lists 9-alternatives to Thanksgiving pie that might have you begging for seconds.

Examples include gingered cranberry-pear cobbler (so you get your extra dose of cranberries), oatmeal-nut crunch apple pie, country pear tarts, and even double-chocolate brownies using fat-free cocoa powder. Oh, and if you refuse to give up your pumpkin pie, you can choose a pumpkin-maple pie that “takes advantage of the natural sweetness of maple syrup and adds fat-free evaporated milk for richness.” It has 100-less calories and 8-less grams of fat per serving than traditional pumpkin pie, it adds.