Healthy Food Swaps For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the time of year for football, family and food. Football and family are two easy things to enjoy but what about all those high calorie high fat foods? The key to enjoying your Thanksgiving meals and not feeling guilty about your high calorie intake is to strike a balance between enjoying your favorite foods and swapping in smart, nutritional alternatives. Below are just a few swapping suggestions to fill your holiday with delicious food while still keeping your pre holiday body.

Instead of Dark Meat Turkey swap in White Meat Turkey
The dark meat in your Thanksgiving turkey has about twice the fat of turkey breast and about 40 percent more calories
Instead of Mashed Potatoes swap in Mashed Cauliflower
Cauliflower are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals including C, K, folate, and B.
Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and B, potassium, phosphorus, antioxidants and fiber.
This nutrient dense substitute contains fiber, B vitamins, and many minerals including zinc, potassium, and magnesium.
You can steam them, roast or saute them with olive oil and fresh garlic and sea salt to make sure you get the full nutritive value out of the beans.
Substitute low-fat or nonfat plain Greek yogurt or nonfat sour cream for regular sour cream in all of your recipes this season, and no one will be the wiser. To put it in perspective: An ounce of sour cream has about 60 calories. An ounce of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has only 15 to 20 calories, and an ounce of nonfat sour cream has about 25. The savings from even a few small scoops quickly add up.
The easiest way to cut unnecessary calories this season is to cut back on alcohol. For a portion-controlled alternative that will help you save calories, replace 2 ounces of wine with club soda. Since a 5-ounce glass of red or white wine has about 150 calories, and club soda has no calories, replacing just two ounces of the wine already saves you 60 calories toward another slice of pie. You’ll be able to party with all your family and friends while saving calories.
Instead of Candied Yams swap in Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Instead of Store Bought Stuffing swap in Wild Rice and Veggie Stuffing
Instead of Green Bean Casserole swap in Green Bean Salad
Instead of Full Fat Dips swap in Greek Yogurt Dips
Instead of that Sugary Alcoholic Drink swap in a Wine Spritzer