Making a Healthy Thanksgiving Turkey

With Thanksgiving comes family, friends and unfortunately some unhealthy, food. Sometimes, healthy means less flavor and appeal. There are some steps you can take to make a healthy Thanksgiving turkey while still having the taste you're used to.

To have a healthier Thanksgiving, you'll need to look over your recipes. There's no need to overhaul entire dishes but there are healthy alternatives to a lot of ingredients you may be using. Turkeys are usually the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner and such, require special attention.

To add flavor to it, avoid using turkey rubs. A lot of these products contain a high amount of salt which can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) in some people. There are plenty of salt free seasonings you can buy that are found in the same aisle as the salt.

You can also use onions, garlic, peppers and other vegetables to flavor your turkey. Simply cut them up and place them in the same pan as the turkey. To get a good roast, add some vegetable spread or olive oil in with the veggies.

Vegetable spread is made out of oil so it's high in unsaturated fats, low in saturated ones and contains no trans fat which makes it a healthier choice than butter or margarine. You can replace butter or margarine with vegetable spreads in any of your recipes as the tastes are nearly identical.

Turkey is by far the least of your concerns. The sides and desserts typically add many more calories than turkey and you shouldn't ignore them just because they're not the main attraction. Carefully planning out your next Thanksgiving dinner will make your meal more nutritious and may even motivate some of your guests to eat healthier foods.

Need some tips for preparing your first healthy Thanksgiving Turkey? Visit the Guide to a Healthy Holiday and share recipes at the nutrition forums.