Make Your Thanksgiving More Heart Healthy

Did you know that in a typical Thanksgiving meal, Americans will consume more than 1,600 calories? Or that an average American eats around 4,500 calories throughout the entire Thanksgiving day? One study even found that eating an unusually heavy and rich meal may quadruple an individual’s risk of having a heart attack, provided they already have other risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol.

This Thanksgiving, you might like to try a few healthier recipes for your meal. Here are a few ideas to make your day a little more heart healthy.

Try low-fat turkey gravy. Find a recipe here.

Or replace the gravy with a different, lower-fat sauce, such as a balsamic sauce. Find a recipe here.

Instead of regular mashed potatoes, try a sweet potato mash. Find a recipe here.

Replace regular fattening stuffing with wild rice (or quinoa) stuffing. Find a recipe here.

Try a vegan pumpkin pie instead of the regular, high-calorie option. Find a recipe here.