With Thanksgiving coming up and all the food that is going to be readily available for you on that dining table, sometimes it’s hard not to indulge. But it is currently the most common time of the year for men and women to pack on a couple of extra pounds. Through fall and winter we often stay in from the cold, the gym and don’t get enough exercise in addition to eating plenty of comforting and hearty foods.
Because of this we wanted to bring some healthy alternatives to your Thanksgiving, starting with the health benefits of giving.
Plenty of people don’t get to have a Thanksgiving meal at all, let alone one with the ones they love. Academic research demonstrates that giving to others benefits people physically and emotionally including enhancing your immune system, lowering cholesterol levels, strengthening your heart, decreasing the incidence of chest pains, and generally reducing stress. Most importantly though, is your ability to enhance others’ holiday season. Check out the Andre House of Hospitality this holiday season and give some time if you have any extra. Or try the food bank to help out a lot of families this season.
Now on to the meal.
Nutritionist Monica Reinagel suggests keeping appetizers on the light side. Replace chips, pretzels and crackers with a colorful platter of fresh vegetables. Instead of using a heavy mayonnaise or sour-cream based dip, where most the calories come from anyway, replace it with hummus or a low-fat plain yogurt based dip.
Reinagel says if your Thanksgiving meal is in the later part of the evening, take a break from appetizers and serve a fresh salad with vegetables, cubed cheese, meat, avocado, tuna and a hard boiled egg. It’s nutritious and satisfying but won’t destroy everyones appetite. It also shouldn’t take long to make so you can focus on preparing other items.
Other ways to serve up delicious and healthier sides for your meal can be done by making tiny tweaks to cut back on calories, as offered by Chef Chad Sarno from Whole Foods’ Health Starts.
- Creating dressings and sauces without oil
- Substituting dates and whole fruit sweeteners for sugar
- Choosing whole grains and sprouted grain breads for sides, stuffings, etc.
- Using applesauce in place of oils for baking
- Sauté onions without oil
- Using herbs and spices to amp up flavor instead of butter
- Non-dairy milk for creams and sauces
It’s good to remember tradition, but just give it a makeover - choose dark over white meat, sweet potatoes over yams, and you can still enjoy your pumpkin pie just skip the whipped cream. Below are some recipes for healthy alternatives on your Thanksgiving day.
Shore Lodge Butternut Squash and Apple Soup from Chef Gruber
INGREDIENTS
- 3 pounds butternut squash, roasted and peeled
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1 gallon chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh sage, minced
- 1/2 TBSP chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-1/2 TBSP salt
- 1/2 TBSP white pepper
DIRECTIONS:
(1) In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté onion and apples until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. (2) Add butternut squash and honey and continue to cook for 10 more minutes. (3) Add brandy and reduce au sec. (4) Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. (5) Add all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes. (6) Puree soup and season with salt and pepper. (7) Strain through large-sieve China cap. (8) Chill, label, and date. Leftover soup can be frozen for later usage. Makes approximately 20 servings
Super Healthy Stuffing from Debbie Johnson, Author of Fun with GF/LG Food
“This is tasty and satisfying for your holiday comfort-food fix.”
INGREDIENTS :
These measurements are per cup of bread cubes:
- 1 cup of your favorite gluten-free, low-glycemic Bread, cubed (or use from my new book, Fun with GF/LG Food. http://glutenfreefun.com
- ¼ cup Pistachios, shelled (or other Nuts of choice)
- ½ cup Red Onion
- ½ cup Celery
- ¼ cup Ghee (clarified Butter) or Grapeseed Oil for Vegans
- 1 tsp. Sage
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ¼ cup purified Water
DIRECTIONS:
(1) Dry Bread cubes by placing in pan large enough to hold entire stuffing and baking for 15-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Check often so they don’t burn. Time depends upon moisture level in bread you use. Leave oven at 350. (2) Cut Pistachios in half, or quarter other Nuts. This is just an approximation to say they can be in pieces, but not too small.
Blend in with dried Bread Cubes. Set aside. (3) Chop Red Onion and Celery in pieces about ¼ inch sized, or to your liking. (4) Melt Ghee and place in sauté pan, or place oil in sauté pan. (5) Saute’ Onion first, then when slightly soft, add Celery, then Sage and Salt. Saute until celery begins to soften. (6) Cover with water and simmer for one minute. Then add to Bread mixture. (7) Bake for 20-30 minutes or until desired crispness, or stuff into Poultry of choice and bake as directed for that kind of poultry and weight. Serves two people for the ingredients below with one cup measure.
Fat-Free Gravy
“This will remind you of traditional gravy but it is so much lower in calories because it has no fat. You can use meat drippings (fat removed) canned broth or instant bouillon mixed with water.”
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup cold fat-free broth*, divided (chicken, turkey, or beef)
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- seasonings to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Pour 1/4 cup of broth in a covered container. Add flour and shake well to prevent lumps.
Stovetop: In a small saucepan, combine remainder of broth with flour mixture. Cook on medium until boiling, while stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Continue stirring until thickened.
-Brenda J. Ponichtera is a registered dietitian and award-winning author with extensive experience in nutrition and diabetes counseling.
And for dessert:
Healthy Apple Crumble
Vegan Pumpkin Custard Pie
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