Best and Worst Thanksgiving Foods

We pick the skinniest, healthiest food choices for your Thanksgiving plate.

If you want to eat a little of everything this Thanksgiving, you should. Gratefully savoring a delicious home-prepared meal on this one holiday sounds like a healthy thing to do, to me. But if you’re wondering which, calorically speaking, are the best and worst Thanksgiving dishes to choose, I’ve got the skinny.

Which Is the Skinnier Pick: White or Dark Meat (Turkey)?
White meat. Per 3 ounces, opting for the “white” turkey breasts over the “dark” meat will save you 50 calories and 4 grams of fat: 115 calories and 7 grams of fat versus 160 calories and 11 grams of fat, respectively.

Which Is the Skinnier Pick: Green Bean Casserole or Sweet Potato Casserole
Even with its creamy mushroom soup and crispy fried onions, traditional green bean casserole (161 calories, 9 g fat per ¾ cup) is a lighter pick than sweet potato casserole (285 calories, 5 g fat per ¾ cup). Part of the reason is that green beans are so low-cal to start. That said, the starchier sweet potato is full of good-for-you nutrients, including beta carotene, a potent antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A.

Which Is the Skinnier Pick: Pumpkin or Apple Pie?
At 316 calories and 14 g of fat per slice (1/8 of a 9 inch pie), pumpkin is a slimmer choice than apple, which will cost you 411 calories and 19 g of fat for that same-size slice. One explanation for the higher calorie count: the double crust. Another bonus of picking the pumpkin: whipped topping has significantly fewer calories and less fat than the vanilla ice cream often served atop apple.

Which Is the Skinnier Pick: Traditional Sausage Stuffing or a Dinner Roll with Butter?
If you’re all about the calories, go for the dinner roll with a pat of butter, which will set you back 140 calories and 4.5 g fat, versus the 371 calories and 19 g of fat you’ll gobble down in ¾ cup of the stuffing. But if you love stuffing, go for it—maybe just go for a smaller serving—Thanksgiving comes but once a year, after all.

Which Is the Skinnier Turkey Topper: Jellied Cranberries or Gravy?
Surprise! Gravy is actually the skinnier selection in this case. Per ¼ cup, gravy delivers about 30 calories and 1.5 g fat, versus the cranberries, with 110 calories (and 0 g fat) per ¼ cup. Why so high? Lots of added sugars.

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