The Best (and Worst) Thanksgiving Foods
Thanksgiving
is a great meal. Friends and family come together to give thanks and
celebrate the harvest season…and
to overeat.
All
of us know the feeling of eating too much, too heavy, too rich. When
we should be enjoying our time with loved ones, we are uncomfortable.
We exacerbate our health conditions and catch a cold. We put on
weight and feel lethargic.
I’m
not going to tell you to make dramatic changes to your Thanksgiving
meal. Usually that does not work—and besides, it’s no fun.
Instead
I suggest you just make small choices. Pick one food instead of the
other. Make little positive choices and they’ll add up to a
healthier, more enjoyable meal.
The Best and Worst Thanksgiving Foods
Before
we begin, let’s set some ground rules.
Obviously,
everyone uses different recipes and buys different products.
Nutritional value of Thanksgiving foods can vary widely. And
everyone has different health concerns—from watching calories, to
cutting cholesterol to boosting their immune system.
The
“Best and Worst Thanksgiving Foods” list is intended as a general
guideline. Consider the overall nutritional value of each
food—calories, fats, nutrients and additives. Which food moves you
closest to your health goals?
Dark Meat vs. White Meat
This
is the classic Thanksgiving debate. But for health, white meat has
the advantage. For each 3oz
serving,
white meat has 50 fewer calories and 4g less fat than dark. And at
Thanksgiving, you’re bound to eat more than 3oz.
The
best:
White meat. Enjoy your turkey but pass on the dark meat.
Sweet Potatoes vs. Mashed Potatoes
Generally
potatoes are a healthy food. I especially recommend sweet potatoes
for fall and winter diets. But when you add Thanksgiving condiments
to potatoes, they lose their nutritional standing. Gravy or butter
makes mashed potatoes full of fat. And adding sugar or marshmallows
to sweet potatoes makes them closer to dessert than a vegetable.
The
best:
Savory sweet potatoes. Bake diced sweet potatoes with a tiny bit of
olive oil, garlic and rosemary for a delicious and nutritious side
dish.
Clearly
the worst:
Mashed potatoes swimming in butter or gravy.
Homemade Gravy vs. Canned Gravy
Gravy
is delicious—but bad for your health. Basically, gravy is fat.
One
quarter cup of homemade
gravy
has 18g fat, most of which is saturated, and contains virtually no
nutrients. On the other hand, canned gravy has less fat but it’s
high in salts, sugar and preservatives.
The
best:
Both are equally bad. The best choice is to eat very small amounts
(or none).
Brussel Sprouts vs. Collard Greens
This
one is a trick question—they are both good. Skip the recipes with
bacon fat; steam these up and fill your plate. They are good for you
and they fill you up so you don’t overeat other foods.
The
best:
Tie for first place.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce vs. Canned Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries
are healthy and full of phytochemicals, which help protect against
urinary tract infections, inflammation and cancer. Unfortunately,
cranberry sauce is a different matter. Canned cranberry sauce can
have high fructose corn syrup. You can leave the corn syrup out of
homemade sauce, but many recipes call for lots of sugar.
The
best:
Homemade cranberry sauce.
Bonus
choices:
Reduce the sugar in the recipe or skip the cranberry sauce
altogether and save your sugar for dessert.
Beer vs. Wine
The
beer vs. wine debate is hotly contested, with each side claiming
victory. Generally a serving of wine has fewer
calories
than beer and in some studies it is linked to cardiovascular health
and lower cholesterol. On the other hand, a serving of beer
generally has more nutrients and less alcohol than wine.
The
best:
You pick based on your health concerns. Are you watching calories
or alcohol intake? In both cases, moderation is best.
Apple Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie
Both
apples and pumpkins are a healthy start, but they take a turn when
they become pie. Pies have a lot of fat in the crust and sugar in
the filling.
Which
is healthier? Pumpkin
pie
weighs in with 95 fewer calories and 5g less fat than apple pie,
mainly because it has only one crust and is topped with a small
dollop of whipped cream instead of a large scoop of ice cream.
The
best:
Pumpkin pie. Bonus if you pass on the whipped cream.
Whipped Cream vs. Ice Cream
This
is a tough comparison because there is a wide range of products in
each category. From Cool Whip to homemade whipped cream, from
“frozen dairy dessert” (read the label of cheap ice creams and
you’ll see this description) to real ice cream—there is a wide
range of ingredients.
Obviously,
both have fats and sugars. But one big difference between the two is
how they are served. Generally a scoop of ice cream on a piece of
pie can be at least half a cup, while a dollop of whipped cream is
closer to two tablespoons. A serving of whipped cream is simply
smaller than a serving of ice cream.
In
both cases, check the ingredient labels for pure natural ingredients.
Homemade gives you more control of the ingredients but choose your
recipes wisely. Whipping cream has less fat than heavy cream, but
it’s the high fat content in the recipes that make it “good.”
The
best:
Whipping cream. Bonus if you stick to two tablespoons.
Happy Thanksgiving
Best
wishes for a fun Thanksgiving feast. May you and your loved ones
have safe travels and good times.
Kathy E Thomas
Lake Premier Wellness Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
2430 South Bay Street, Eustis, FL 32726
352-323-0795
