For many, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday simply because of the delicious homemade meal. But, unfortunately, the meal is not always the healthiest. However, there are many ways to make your turkey, stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes healthier and still taste amazing.

The average roasted turkey, according to eatingwell.com, has about 368 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of fiber and 994 milligrams sodium. Because of this, eatingwell.com has their own healthier recipe, proven by their nutrition comparison between a regular roasted turkey and their “Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey.” This turkey has only 155 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 grams of fiber and 115 milligrams of sodium. The full recipe can be found on their website.

The best website to go to when looking for healthier cooking options is foodnetwork.com. On the website, there is a healthier stuffing and gravy recipe. Both of these recipes are vegan, which can be quite refreshing compared to what can be such a grease-heavy meal. At foodnetwork.com, they replace chicken stock with green tea. They made this odd choice because, “The earthy flavor makes it a better replacement for chicken stock than vegetable stock, which can be too sweet and high in sodium.” For the vegan gravy, foodnetwork.com advises to “Seek out vegetables high in glutamate, an amino acid…give them a quick char before simmering them down to a rich, flavorful stock used for gravy…”

An up and coming mashed potatoes replacement is mashed cauliflower. According to livestrong.com, 1 cup of boiled potatoes contains 0.16 grams of fat, whereas 1 cup of boiled cauliflower contains 0.56 grams of fat. Boiled cauliflower also has less calories (28), while boiled potatoes have 134. Many people enjoy mashed cauliflower and think it tastes much better than the traditional mashed potatoes.

There are many ways one can make their Thanksgiving healthier. By changing traditional recipes to make the meal less difficult on the body, one can avoid a food coma and feel all around more refreshed.

Links to the recipes:

Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey Recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252259/apple-shallot-roasted-turkey-with-cider-gravy/

Vegan Stuffing/Vegan Gravy: http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/photos/healthy-thanksgiving-recipes.page-4.html

“Mock” Garlic Mashed Potatoes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe.html