Oh, those dinner feasts eaten every holiday season! Everyone anticipates it for weeks, the cook spends hours preparing it, and it fills bellies beyond their normal capacity. In planning the feast this year, the family cook should consider all options for lowering fat and making healthier choices. Keeping portion control in mind as eaters heap the goodies on their plates is important, and It wouldn’t hurt to work a little exercise into the day to help burn some of those holiday calories off either!
Holiday Dinner Calorie Breakdown
Here is a breakdown of the typical American Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey Dinner:
- Turkey White Meat and skin – 1 cup diced, 276 calories, 11.7 g fat, 0 carbs, 40 g protein
- Turkey Dark Meat and skin – 1 cup diced, 309 calories, 16.2 g fat, 0 carbs, 38.5 g protein
- Bread Stuffing – 1/2 cup, 190 calories, 9 g fat, 25 g carbs, 3 g protein
- Mashed Potatoes (Whole milk and butter added) – 1 cup, 237 calories, 8.8 g fat, 35.5 g carbs, 4.1 g protein
- Whole Kernel Corn (Canned) – 1/2 cup, 66 calories, .75 g fat, 15.4 g carbs, 2.1 g protein
- Turkey Gravy (Canned) – 1/2 cup 60 calories, 2.5 g fat, 6 g carbs, 6.2 g protein
- Dinner Roll (White) – 1 roll, 120 calories, 3.5 g fat, 20 g carbs, 3 g protein
- Butter – 1 tablespoon, 100 calories, 11 g fat, 0 carbs, 0 protein
The total on this typical plateful of turkey day food is:
- Calories – 1,050
- Fat – 63.45 g
- Carbs – 101.9 g carbs
- Protein – 97 g
Other Holiday Season Dinner Dishes:
Besides the basic Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, there are always family favorites that might show up on the table:
- Candied Yams – 1/2 cup, 170 calories, 1.4 g fat, 46 g carbs, 2 g protein
- Green Bean Casserole – 1 cup, 137 calories, 7 g fat, 15 g carbs, 4.4 g protein
- Fruit Salad (fruits, nuts and Cool Whip) – 1 cup, 200 calories, 11.6 g fat, 26.5 g carbs, 2.2 g protein
- Pumpkin Pie (Libby’s Recipe) – 1/8 of pie, 319 calories, 12.3 g fat, 47.6 g carbs, 6.5 g protein
- Pecan Pie 9 (Karo Classic Recipe) 1/8 of pie, 241 calories, 14.1 g fat, 27 g carbs, 3.3 g protein
- Apple Pie (Reduced sugar) – 1/8 pie, 204 calories, 9.9 g fat, 27.8 g carbs, 2 g protein
That is enough to make a head swim and and tummy pooch!
Ways to Save Calories and Serve a Healthier Holiday Meal
Today, there are lots of lower sodium, lower fat, lower carb choices when cooking. Obviously, every cook wants their Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to be enjoyed by everyone, but healthier does not necessarily mean tasteless! Here are healthy alternatives that guest should be thankful for!
- Remove skin from turkey meat (saves approximately 50 calories per cup of meat)
- Use skim milk instead of whole milk for potatoes
- Use chicken broth instead of milk and butter in potatoes (saves approximately 80 calories per cup of prepared potatoes).
- Don’t use the turkey fat for gravies, but instead use fat free turkey broth.
- Don’t add giblets to gravy (saves 289 calories and 17.2 g fat)
- Serve lower-calorie green beans or broccoli instead of corn
- Serve whole wheat or multi-grain dinner rolls (lower on the glycemic index scale)
- Try a low sugar candied sweet potatoes recipe.
- Use a can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup in the Green Bean Casserole
- Use Cool Whip instead of real whipping cream or sweeten whipping cream with splenda sweetener.
- Research the internet for low-sugar pie recipes, and recipes that incorporate flax seed into recipes which lowers the glycemic index number on each dish.
This Holiday season, get creative and cut calories and fat wherever possible. The family probably won't even notice! When serving a high calorie, fat-laden dish, offer an alternative for those who are trying to cut back. And before and after the meal, get everyone moving by playing calorie-burning games, organizing a Volleyball match or taking a walk. The whole family’s health is on the line.
Related Articles:
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Ideas
Resources: Caloriecount.com
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