Are you wondering what healthy dishes you can add to your Thanksgiving menu this year? In this blog, we’ll be mentioning some things that can be added to your dinner or adjusted to help lower or prevent any Thanksgiving weight gain. Firstly, take a look at some of our past blogs, Healthy Fall Foods and Thanksgiving with Diabetes for other ideas. Also, keep in mind that the method of cooking used can also affect the nutritional outcome of a dish. For example, if you have an air fryer, there are many things you would be able to cook (like diced potatoes or slices of lean turkey or chicken) to get the texture of a fried, crunchy food without the excess oil.
Stuffing. If you don’t already do so, one adjustment that can be made to stuffing is adding chopped dried fruits and/or nuts. Not only could it enhance the taste and texture, one would be able to benefit from the added nutrients, vitamins, and more. In addition, try adding cauliflower rice or quinoa (which is high in fiber and helps you feel full with less calories).
Mashed Potatoes. Instead of using regular potatoes to make mashed potatoes, try using sweet potatoes. They are loaded in fiber (which helps give you that “full” feeling), vitamins, antioxidants, and low in calories. In addition, they are anti-inflammatory. Other alternatives include roasting your vegetable of choice and blending it until it’s smooth and creamy. It can give a similar texture as mashed potatoes while providing a wider variety of flavors and nutrients.
Crudités Platter. Crudités are sliced or whole raw vegetables usually served with a vinaigrette or dip. They can be eaten as an appetizer to your Thanksgiving dinner. To make things more interesting, get creative and make your own dip by roasting vegetables and other ingredients (i.e. tomatoes, squash, peppers, spinach, carrots, dark leafy greens, etc.) then pureeing them to your desired consistency. Depending on what you use, a savory or sweet dip can be made! There are many possibilities.
Stuffed Peppers. This can be a hearty dish depending on what you decide to use for your filling. The filling can essentially be made of any combination of meat, starch, vegetable, bean, nuts, seeds, etc. Some ideas include ground lean turkey, mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, beans, quinoa, chopped dark, leafy greens, carrots, and more! 
And if you choose to, you can even give it a light sprinkle of cheese, nuts, or seeds. To make it, you first want to cook your filling on the stovetop then stuff your peppers. Some people steam their peppers before adding the filling and then baking, while others just add the filling and bake. It all depends on how tender or firm you would like your peppers to be. For even more variety, try stuffing cucumbers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, squash (there are many types), zucchini, portobello mushrooms, poblanos (mild chili pepper), or even jalapeños!
Like we mentioned last week, there are many ways you can get creative this Thanksgiving while keeping things tasty, healthy, and interesting! Remember that this is not an exhaustive list of things you can do. Be sure to explore the many options that are available out there. And have fun prepping your Thanksgiving menu!
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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