I love Thanksgiving and I LOVE Thanksgiving food but most of the traditional holiday dishes can leave me feeling heavy and bloated. I always want to leave Thanksgiving dinner feeling good about myself and my choices, so each year I swap a few traditional dishes with healthier alternatives.
Here’s five of my favorite healthy Thanksgiving swaps:
Baked sweet potatoes instead of sweet potato casserole. Having one baked sweet potato on your plate instead of a heaping scoop of sweet potato casserole will save you quite a few calories and grams of sugar. Sweet potato casserole often has added sugar and in my opinion, sweet potatoes are already sweet enough so I’d rather eat them in their natural state.
Brussels sprouts with bacon instead of green bean casserole. I love brussels sprouts with bacon so this is an easy one for me. Of course green beans are healthy, but when you add in all of the mushroom soup and fried onions, it’s just not as nutritious as it seems.
White meat instead of dark meat. When choosing carvings from the turkey, opt for white meat which has less saturated fat. Both taste good (with a little bit of gravy on it LOL) so why not make the healthier choice?
Fruit salad for dessert instead of pie. I love making a good fruit salad for Thanksgiving. Mine usually consists of pears, apples, red grapes and cranberries. Indulging in these fruits filled with natural sugar is a much easier way to get your sugar fix without overdoing it.
Cauliflower mash instead of mashed potatoes - A good cauliflower mash can be very similar to traditional mashed potatoes but with way less carbs! This is one my favorite swaps. Starches always leave me feeling bloated so cauliflower mash is a guilt-free fix.
I hope some of these swaps inspire you to make a few extra healthy choices this Thanksgiving! Remember, at the end of the day it’s all about balance and doing what feels good for your body.
