Updated: 1/28/2020 Let’s be honest: eating healthy is hard.  It takes more time, preparation and it doesn’t always taste good. (In an ideal world, donuts would be healthy, right?) Thanksgiving…

Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

23 Healthy Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Meal

Updated: 1/28/2020

Let’s be honest: eating healthy is hard.  It takes more time, preparation and it doesn’t always taste good. (In an ideal world, donuts would be healthy, right?) Thanksgiving is a much anticipated holiday for Americans for many reasons – a giant meal, family, friends and football!

To ensure the holidays are still fun, and a little healthier, we have a list of some healthy AND delicious recipes for you to try this year!

Healthy Turkey Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Feast

Main Dish for Thanksgiving Feast

Healthy Turkey Recipes:

Healthy Stuffing Recipes:

Healthy Side Dish for Your Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving Dinner Side Dishes

Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipes:

Healthy Cranberry Sauce Recipes:

Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes:

Other Healthy Thanksgiving Sides:

Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Thanksgiving Desserts

Healthy Pumpkin Desserts:

Healthy Apple Desserts:

Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

Next Day (Leftover Recipes)

No one likes having the same meal for a whole week after Thanksgiving. Here are some recipes you can use to reinvent your holiday feast.

How to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving

Too often, we ruin our diets by overeating at Thanksgiving. It’s a little early to become Mr. and Mrs. Claus, so consider taking a few steps to manage your Thanksgiving feast.

Here’s how: 

  • Eat normally. Don’t starve yourself that day to make more room for Thanksgiving dinner
  • Plan your portion sizes. A trick for this is to get a smaller plate; you won’t be able to pile it with as much food as a big one, and you’ll eat less.
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day and during the Thanksgiving meal.
  • Work out before the meal. It may curb your appetite and if you do end up eating more than normal, no sweat. (From eating, at least)
  • Continue your diet the next day. Especially if you overdo it on Thanksgiving, it’s important to return to your healthy routine the next day.

It’s easy to get fixated on our diets – however healthy or unhealthy they are. Let’s not forget that, in the end, Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have, enjoying family and friends and making lasting memories together. So above all else, enjoy the day!

What are some ways you strive to stay healthy over the holiday season? Do you have any additional healthy recipe ideas? Leave them in the comments below.

Katie is 1Dental’s copywriter and social media marketer. She aims to promote dental health through new blog posts heavily researched and sourced by topic and social media updates and outreach. Katie has completed her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. You’ll find her posting regularly on 1Dental’s social pages: Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest.

2 Comments
  1. The thing to remember about Thanksgiving is that we eat ALL DAY LONG! Remember to drink plenty of water and minimize the sugary drinks in order to cut back on the amount of sugar you’re consuming. Have small portions of everything so you get a little bit of all your favorite dishes without overdoing it.

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