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Americans are likely to gobble up about 4,500 calories at their Thanksgiving feast on Thursday — and that’s before the inevitable late-night raid for leftovers.
But minding your menu doesn’t mean you have to ditch the dishes you look forward to all year.
“You may find that making small, healthy changes to your Thanksgiving meal will still give you food that you’ll love to eat and will want to make for future holidays,” Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Huntington Hospital, told The Post.
Across the country, about three-quarters of Americans say they or their group will cook the holiday dinner at home, rather than ordering pre-made meals, dining at a restaurant or getting takeout, according to a YouGov survey.
Schiff reveals some easy ways that home cooks can lighten up traditional Thanksgiving sides, so they can enjoy the flavors they love without waging a war on their waistline.
First up: cranberry sauce.
“I love cranberry sauce, but most prepared cranberry sauces or relishes are full of sugar because cranberries are naturally very acidic and tart,” Schiff said.
Take Ocean Spray’s Jellied Cranberry Sauce, for example. A quarter-cup serving packs 110 calories and a whopping 24 grams of added sugar — the daily limit recommended for women by the American Heart Association.
“I make my own and use half the sugar the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag calls for,” Schiff said.
“I add a little Stevia (a natural, no-calorie sweetener) and add chopped, toasted walnuts for heart-healthy fats and a nice crunch,” she continued. “I also add some grated orange zest.”
Next up: Sweet potatoes.
According to Schiff, the healthiest Thanksgiving sides are usually vegetables prepared with minimal fat and salt — like roasted Brussels sprouts — but the tuberous root rarely fits that description.
A standard sweet potato casserole clocks in at around 276 calories per cup, and that number can climb even higher with toppings like brown sugar, pecans and marshmallows.
“Sweet potato casserole has fiber and vitamin A, but also a lot of sugar,” Schiff explained. “Try eliminating it; the casserole will still be sweet and delicious without it.”
For mashed potatoes, she suggested an easy swap: mashed cauliflower, turnips or parsnips.
“You’ll get fewer carbs and more fiber, and it will still be delicious,” Schiff advised.
Fortunately, stuffing lovers don’t have to bid their favorite dish goodbye to stay mindful of calories.
“Make your stuffing with half the amount of butter in your recipe, and use low-sodium chicken broth to add more moisture,” Schiff said.
Because she bakes her stuffing in a separate pan rather than inside the bird, she also recommends adding turkey drippings for extra moistness and flavor.
Speaking of turkey drippings, these flavorful fats and juices left in the roasting pan after cooking are a key ingredient in Schiff’s gravy recipe.
Traditional and store-bought gravies are often high in sodium, which can be a concern for individuals with high blood pressure, heart conditions or other medical issues.
For example, a tablespoon of brown gravy can contain around 291 milligrams of sodium or about 13% of the daily recommended value.
To cut back, Schiff uses low-sodium chicken broth as the base of her gravy. She pours it, along with carrots, celery, onions and garlic, into the bottom of the roasting pan before placing the turkey on a rack. While the bird roasts, she uses the liquid to baste it.
“When the turkey is done, I pour the liquid at the bottom of the pan into a glass measuring cup, then put it in the refrigerator until most of the fat rises to the top,” Schiff said. “I then pour off the fat.”
Next, she mixes some cornstarch or potato starch with a bit of the low-sodium chicken broth into the turkey drippings to make the gravy.
“I always add either low-sodium canned mushrooms or sautéed fresh mushrooms to the gravy,” Schiff said.
With these easy tweaks, Schiff said there’s no reason to completely give up the traditional foods you love.
“Sometimes it’s better just to have smaller portions of the food you’ve been looking forward to even when it’s not the healthiest,” she said. “Just fill up a bit more on salad, vegetables and protein, and you’ll give yourself a good nutritional base for the rest.”
