Better choices during Thanksgiving

– Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so get into your favorite foods a healthier way.

Eating healthy is very important, especially when it comes to holidays associated with food like Thanksgiving.

As we all know, food is delicious. But what is even better is that you can eat healthy while chomping on your favorite holiday foods.

So which is the healthier pick, white or dark meat (Turkey)?

White meat. Per 3 ounces, choosing 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.

What about Green Bean Casserole or Sweet Potato Casserole?

Yep, the famous green bean casserole is a lighter choice, believe it or not. Even with its creamy Mushroom Soup and crunchy onions, it only has 161 calories, 9 grams of fat per ¾ cup, while the starchy Sweet Potato Casserole is 285 calories, 5 grams of fat per ¾ cup.

Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie?

This is hard one. At 316 calories and 14 grams of fat per slice, pumpkin pie is a slimmer choice than apple, which will cost you 411 calories and 19 grams of fat for that same-size slice. The reasoning for this is mostly because of the double layered crust. Not only is that, but the whipped cream that is served on pumpkin pie is significantly lower in calories, as opposed to the fatty vanilla ice cream that you enjoy with a your slice of apple pie.

Jellied Cranberries or Gravy?

Out of these two delicious turkey toppers, the better choice is gravy. For every ¼ cup, gravy delivers about 30 calories and 1.5 grams of fat versus the cranberries, with 110 calories (and 0 grams of fat) per ¼ cup. Cranberries contain lots of sugars as well.

Traditional Sausage Stuffing or a Dinner Roll with Butter?

If you’re all about the calories, go for the dinner roll with a smidge of butter, which will set you back 140 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, versus the 371 calories and 19 grams 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.

So, with this new information, get into your favorite holiday treats the healthier way – celebrating Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you automatically have to gain weight.