How to Plan a Low-Fat Thanksgiving Meal

It's really a misconception that Thanksgiving is a day to gain pounds and pounds. Turkey is low-fat - and many of the accompanying dishes can be, too.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Holiday Cookbooks
• Low-fat Cookbooks
• Vegetarian Cookbook

1. Try to have a mix of starches and lighter dishes, such as vegetables.
2. Consider serving fewer appetizers, and avoid heavy, cream-based dips. Instead of crackers or chips, offer cut-up vegetables.
3. Make a reduced-fat version of mashed potatoes using chicken stock, skim milk, or even the water the potatoes were boiled in, instead of cream.
4. Consider serving simple steamed vegetables instead of gratin vegetable dishes or other fat-heavy casseroles.
5. Reduce the fat in your homemade gravy by defatting the broth you use.
6. Serve the turkey with the skin removed.
7. Bake the stuffing instead of cooking it inside the bird. (The turkey drippings that seep into the stuffing can be fatty.) Eliminate sausage from your stuffing recipe, or reduce the amount of sausage by half.
8. In all your dishes, reduce the amount of cooking fat (oil, butter and so on) used to sauté onions and other vegetables. Either use cooking spray in a nonstick pan or use just a tablespoon or two of fat, adding a little water if the vegetables begin to stick. Salting the onions or other vegetables in the beginning of cooking helps to draw water out of them, making it less likely that they'll burn.
9. Serve a fruit dessert instead of, or in addition to, the typical pies. Or serve a pumpkin custard without the crust. (Pie crust has a lot of fat, typically much more than the pie filling.)
10. Ask yourself if the reduced-fat dishes you're planning to serve will be appreciated by those who aren't as concerned about having a low-fat diet. Offer alternatives if possible, such as salad dressing on the side, or both rich and light mashed potatoes.

Tips & Warnings

• People generally expect turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.
• Leftovers are expected, so take that into account.