If you’re trying to keep focused on your weight management this year, then it’s a good idea to know the difference between the best and worst Thanksgiving foods you can eat. That way, you can make the right choices in terms of the foods you want to eat and how big your portions will be.
After all, whether you choose the best or the worst Thanksgiving foods, the goal isn’t to make yourself feel deprived. Instead, it’s to make sure you get a great holiday meal without setting back all your careful efforts from previous weeks.
Consider These Best and Worst Thanksgiving Foods for Your Diet
The Best
Cooked Spinach – 1 Cup – 41 calories
Cooked spinach may not be the favorite dish for most people, but this holiday staple can be a great addition to your plate. It can help to offset some of the worst Thanksgiving foods you’ll be choosing for yourself. This dish is low in calories, high in nutrients such as vitamins A and E, calcium, iron and zinc, and is high in fiber, too. This is great for appetite control without any high calorie risks.
Brussels Sprouts – 1 Cup – 56 calories
Brussels sprouts, like spinach, are high in nutrients and fiber while being low in calories. At the same time, Brussels sprouts dish out a surprising amount of protein. This will further keep your food cravings and hunger in check, which is great for making sure you’ll only eat smaller portions of the worst Thanksgiving foods.
Green Bean Casserole – 2/3 Cup – 110 Calories
Unlike some of the other veggies you’ll eat, this casserole comes with a much higher dose of calories and fats. That said, if you make your casserole with low-fat cream of mushroom soup, you can cut back on the calorie hit to 110 calories per 2/3 cup, instead.
The Worst
Canned Jellied Cranberry Sauce – ¼ Cup – 110 calories
Not only does this sweet turkey condiment have a huge number of calories for a small amount of food, but it also comes with 22 grams of sugar (a whopping 4.5 teaspoons) per ¼ cup. Be very careful with how much of this food you eat.
Dark Turkey Meat with Skin – Approximately 3.5 ounces – 206 calories
If you eat white meat without skin, you’ll get a low fat and reduced calorie portion of turkey. However, if you choose the dark meat with skin, you’re slipping into the territory of the worst Thanksgiving foods for a weight loss strategy. The dark meat and skin come with 10 grams of fat per 3.5 ounces and over 200 calories.
Happy Thanksgiving!
