Less than a week from now, most Americans will be stuffing their faces full of all different types of yummy and delicious Thanksgiving foods.
Photo Credit: PediatricHomeService
Thanksgiving is the day to pig out and not care about how many calories you are putting into your body. We only get this day once, right? Don’t forget though, you can always go burn it off shopping even on the same night since most stores are now opening on Thanksgiving for Black Friday. Sadly.
According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and over 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving.
I thought I would list the Best and Worst foods people can eat on Thanksgiving. Maybe it will make you think twice on what you should put into your body, especially if you ARE trying to lose weight.
TOP 5 BEST THANKSGIVING FOODS:
- Turkey
Turkey is a great low-fat option for a protein to have but make sure to choose the white meat.
4 Ounces of White Meat Turkey has 176 calories and only 4 grams of fat, 30 grams of protein - Sweet Potatoes
For 1/2 cup of Sweet potatoes, you will get 300% of the daily recommendation for vitamin A, which keeps vision, skin, and muscles healthy. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant that protects against aging, cancer, and chronic diseases.
For 3 oz of sweet potatoes, 135 calories and 1 gram of fat - Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Of course homemade is better than canned cranberry sauce since it includes fresh cranberries.
High in phytochemicals including phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, which help protect against urinary tract infections, inflammation, and cancer.
1/4 cup has 40 calories and 0 grams of fat AND 3 Grams of Fiber - Baked Ham
Ham is also an excellent low-fat protein to have. Rich in B Vitamins and will also boost your mood and improve digestion.
3 oz of ham has 122 calories and 4 grams of fat. 20 grams of protein - Pumpkin Pie
Even though its a dessert, Pumpkin pie is still better than having apple or pecan.
1/8th of a 9″ pie has 316 calories and 14 grams of fat
TOP 5 WORST THANKSGIVING FOODS:
- Fried Turkey
Yes it is delicious and very juicy when cooked in a frier but the calorie and fat content is much higher.
4 ounces of fried white turkey has 224 calories and 14 grams of fat. - Corn Bread
Low in nutrients and high in calories. Only good thing is when you add milk to it ,you are getting your calcium in, but that’s it.
A 2 inch square of corn bread has 173 calories and 5 grams of fat. - Pecan Pie
Stay away! Yes pecans are healthy when eaten alone with 19 vitamins and a good source of healthy fats and fiber. But when added to a pie with all that butter, sugar and refined carbs, it’s a no!
1/8th of a 9″ pie has 503 calories and 27 grams of fat. - Homemade Gravy
Made often from the drippings from the meat people cook, gravy is a high calorie topping for turkey and mashed potatoes. A quarter cup of gravy has little nutrients and 18 g of fat, most of which are saturated fats.
1/4 cup has 262 calories and 18 grams of fat. - Macaroni and Cheese
We all love macaroni and cheese but not one of the best options to have unless you use skim milk and other low fat alternatives. This classic comfort food is high in calcium and phosphorous to help build strong bones, but it’s also high in artery-clogging saturated fat
1/2 cup has 210 calories and 12 grams of fat
Don’t let all the calories and fat get to you though, it’s okay to indulge at least once especially on Thanksgiving. You can easily get back on track the next day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Photo Credit: Narrowswest