The centerpiece of most Thanksgiving dinners, a 3-ounce serving of roasted white meat turkey has 125 calories. You bring up the calorie count by opting for dark meat instead of light —it has 147 calories -- and eating the skin, which adds 26 calories.
Turkey and gravy —
The centerpiece of most Thanksgiving dinners, a 3-ounce serving of roasted white meat turkey has 125 calories. You bring up the calorie count by opting for dark meat instead of light —it has 147 calories -- and eating the skin, which adds 26 calories.
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For all the turkey naysayers out there, there is ham. A 3-ounce serving of roasted ham has about 133 calories, similar to turkey. However, as Sara Haas, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics points out, ham is higher in fat and salt than turkey.
Roasted ham —
For all the turkey naysayers out there, there is ham. A 3-ounce serving of roasted ham has about 133 calories, similar to turkey. However, as Sara Haas, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics points out, ham is higher in fat and salt than turkey.
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Traditional stuffing is a cornucopia of ingredients, and many of them pack in the calories. Bread stuffing often has sausage, nuts and fruit, and about 350 calories for a one-cup serving. Haas suggests using chicken or turkey sausage, which are lower in calories than pork or beef.
Stuffing —
Traditional stuffing is a cornucopia of ingredients, and many of them pack in the calories. Bread stuffing often has sausage, nuts and fruit, and about 350 calories for a one-cup serving. Haas suggests using chicken or turkey sausage, which are lower in calories than pork or beef.
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A one-cup serving of mashed potatoes comes in at around 238 calories. Blame the milk and butter or margarine for making this seemingly light, fluffy side one of the heavy lifts on your plate. You can slim down your spuds by using fat-free or low-fat milk instead of whole milk. Haas recommends mixing in pureed steamed cauliflower for low-calorie creaminess.
Mashed potatoes —
A one-cup serving of mashed potatoes comes in at around 238 calories. Blame the milk and butter or margarine for making this seemingly light, fluffy side one of the heavy lifts on your plate. You can slim down your spuds by using fat-free or low-fat milk instead of whole milk. Haas recommends mixing in pureed steamed cauliflower for low-calorie creaminess.
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Whether you make your own or go for the canned stuff, a quarter-cup serving of cranberry sauce will set you back about 100 calories.
Cranberry sauce —
Whether you make your own or go for the canned stuff, a quarter-cup serving of cranberry sauce will set you back about 100 calories.
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A one-cup serving of sweet potato casserole can have a whopping 460 calories. Did you really expect anything less from a marshmallow-topped dessert that masquerades as a side dish? You can halve the calories by substituting a pecan topping for the marshmallows and mixing fruit juice and honey instead of butter and sugar into the sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato casserole —
A one-cup serving of sweet potato casserole can have a whopping 460 calories. Did you really expect anything less from a marshmallow-topped dessert that masquerades as a side dish? You can halve the calories by substituting a pecan topping for the marshmallows and mixing fruit juice and honey instead of butter and sugar into the sweet potatoes.
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What good is all the gravy and sides if you don't have bread to mop it up? One dinner roll or crescent roll has about 78 or 100 calories, respectively. But this can quickly turn into several hundred calories because, really, who can eat just one?
Dinner rolls —
What good is all the gravy and sides if you don't have bread to mop it up? One dinner roll or crescent roll has about 78 or 100 calories, respectively. But this can quickly turn into several hundred calories because, really, who can eat just one?
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The only green vegetable at many Thanksgiving dinners, a three-quarter cup serving of green bean casserole contains 230 calories. The cream of mushroom soup, milk and crispy, fried onions in the casserole version drive up the calories. Another version, green beans that are topped with grated Parmesan cheese, has about 50 calories.
Green bean casserole —
The only green vegetable at many Thanksgiving dinners, a three-quarter cup serving of green bean casserole contains 230 calories. The cream of mushroom soup, milk and crispy, fried onions in the casserole version drive up the calories. Another version, green beans that are topped with grated Parmesan cheese, has about 50 calories.
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If pumpkin pie is your Thanksgiving dessert of choice, you are in luck. It is the lowest in calories of all the pies at 320 calories a slice, beating apple (411 calories) and cherry (486 calories). But there is still room for improvement -- use nonfat condensed milk instead of full-fat in the filling.
Pumpkin pie —
If pumpkin pie is your Thanksgiving dessert of choice, you are in luck. It is the lowest in calories of all the pies at 320 calories a slice, beating apple (411 calories) and cherry (486 calories). But there is still room for improvement -- use nonfat condensed milk instead of full-fat in the filling.
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It's the worst (or best?) of the Thanksgiving pies: A slice of pecan adds a hefty 500 calories to your dinner. It will take a lot of jogging -- or power walking through Black Friday sales -- to burn that off. You can lighten the load by substituting rolled oats for half the pecans, if you can handle the break from tradition.
Pecan pie —
It's the worst (or best?) of the Thanksgiving pies: A slice of pecan adds a hefty 500 calories to your dinner. It will take a lot of jogging -- or power walking through Black Friday sales -- to burn that off. You can lighten the load by substituting rolled oats for half the pecans, if you can handle the break from tradition.
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9 Thanksgiving dishes that can pile on the calories

Story highlights

Moderation is key to not overeating on Thanksgiving

Even if you indulge, keep moving -- even simple household chores can burn off the calories

CNN  — 

When you sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, the cards will be stacked against your diet. Those favorite dishes are just so high in calories – hello, stuffing and sweet potato casserole! – and there are just so many of them, it can seem impossible not to splurge.

But with the right planning and a serving of willpower, you can have a healthy (or healthier) Thanksgiving.

How to dish up a healthier meal

“My advice is to do everything in moderation. Normally, people scoop up mounds of stuff on their plate, and that’s where it gets to be a problem. But if you can handle small portion sizes, then that’s fine,” said Sara Haas, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

And just because you are going to indulge during that one meal of the day doesn’t mean that you have to blow the others. “Balance it with good meals at breakfast and lunch and do some exercise … think about how much better you’ll feel by the time you get to Thanksgiving dinner,” Haas said.

When it comes time to feast, there are steps you can take to keep from overeating, or at least to limit it. Haas recommends putting your fork down and taking a sip of water between bites to keep from shoveling food in your mouth. And wait at least 20 minutes before going back for seconds (or thirds) – it takes your body about that much time to know that it is full, she said.

Of course, if you are the one doing the cooking, there are lots of steps you can take to make your Thanksgiving dinner healthier. Using low-fat meats and dairy products is one easy way to lower the calorie load – and in foods such as stuffing and pies, you probably won’t even notice the difference.

Haas recommends sources such as Cooking Light and Eat Right, the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, for beloved recipes made healthier, and for turning those mountains Thanksgiving leftovers into creative, and possibly healthier dishes.

How to burn Thanksgiving calories

Even if you choose the healthiest sides on the table, eat only one slice of pie and keep your leftover plans in check, you might still need some activity to break even on Thanksgiving.

Consider looking for a race to run around the holiday, or just go jogging in your neighborhood – 60 minutes of jogging burns about 477 calories – about one slice of pecan pie.

Sixty minutes of Zumba burns about 540 calories – that almost takes care of your sweet potato casserole and your cranberry sauce.

An hour of tossing around a football with your family burns about 160 calories. There goes the turkey!

But there are plenty of ways to cut back without tying on your athletic shoes.

An hour spent clearing and washing dishes will burn about 100 calories. Another hour of mopping up after the big meal can burn more than 100. Cleanup could be the cure for green bean casserole.

There’s good news, too, if you’re hanging out at the kids’ table. An hour of carrying around small children can burn about 136 calories. Running around with them for 60 minutes can burn more than 200. See you later, stuffing.

Planning to line up for Black Friday sales? Thirty minutes of shopping can burn 76 calories – if you’re moving fast enough to score a few big deals and long enough to cover everyone on your list, you can easily take care of your mashed potatoes and dinner rolls.