Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with friends and family, reflecting, and enjoying good food. When the holiday in November arrives, many people are often too distracted by the delicious smells coming from the kitchen to consider the nutrition of their meal. However, the Calorie Control Council reports that the average American can eat over 4,500 calories (and 229 grams of fat) during a typical Thanksgiving dinner.
With this in mind, HealthGrove, a health and nutrition data site by Graphiq, ranked the most popular Thanksgiving dishes by healthiness. To do so, they used data from the United States Department of Agriculture to identify a typical turkey day food item’s nutrition facts and ranked each dish by calories. In the case of a tie, the dish with less sodium was favored.
#25. Roasted Beets
Serving size: 1/2 cup slices
Calories: 37
Carbohydrates: 8.5g
Fat: 0.2g
Protein: 1.4g
Sugar: 6.8g
Sodium: 65mg
#24. Dinner Rolls
Serving size: 1 each
Calories: 78
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fat: 1.6g
Protein: 2.7g
Sugar: 1.4g
Sodium: 134mg
#23. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serving size: 100g
Calories: 82
Carbohydrates: 11g
Fat: 3.7g
Protein: 3.9g
Sugar: 2.5g
Sodium: 29mg
#22. Winter Squash
Serving size: 121.7g
Calories: 82
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fat: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 4g
Sodium: 492mg
#21. Stuffing
Serving size: 205g
Calories: 109
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fat: 1g
Protein: 3.1g
Sugar: 2.3g
Sodium: 398mg
#20. Minted Peas
Serving size: 57g
Calories: 110
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 6g
Sugar: 7g
Sodium: 170mg
#19. Apple Cider
Serving size: 1oz (28.4g)
Calories: 117
Carbohydrates: 29g
Fat: 0.3g
Protein: 0.2g
Sugar: 27g
Sodium: 7mg
#18. Gravy
Serving size: 2/3 cup (106g)
Calories: 123
Carbohydrates: 11g
Fat: 5.5g
Protein: 8g
Sugar: 0.5g
Sodium: 1,305mg
#17. Baked Brie
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 133
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fat: 8.6g
Protein: 6g
Sugar: 5.3g
Sodium: 156mg
#16. Turkey
Serving size: 37.5g
Calories: 170
Carbohydrates: 0g
Fat: 8g
Protein: 24g
Sugar: 0g
Sodium: 55mg
#15. Candied Yams
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 170
Carbohydrates: 46g
Fat: 0g
Protein: 2.1g
Sugar: 21g
Sodium: 360mg
#14. Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad
Serving size: 3oz (84g)
Calories: 175
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fat: 14.2g
Protein: 3g
Sugar: 7g
Sodium: 50mg
#13. Cornbread
Serving size: 1/2 cup (147g)
Calories: 198
Carbohydrates: 33g
Fat: 6g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: 10g
Sodium: 359mg
#12. Glazed Carrots
Serving size: 1/2 serving
Calories: 201
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fat: 11.5g
Protein: 1g
Sugar: 18g
Sodium: 258mg
#11. Cranberry Sauce
Serving size: 1 piece (60g)
Calories: 210
Carbohydrates: 54g
Fat: 0g
Protein: 0g
Sugar: 53g
Sodium: 40mg
#10. Buttermilk Biscuits
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 212
Carbohydrates: 27g
Fat: 10g
Protein: 4.2g
Sugar: 1.3g
Sodium: 348mg
#9. Mashed Potatoes
Serving size: 1 biscuit
Calories: 214
Carbohydrates: 35g
Fat: 7g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: 1.2g
Sodium: 741mg
#8. Green Bean Casserole
Serving size: 1 cup (242g)
Calories: 227
Carbohydrates: 20g
Fat: 15.4g
Protein: 2.3g
Sugar: 0g
Sodium: 624mg
#7. Apple Crisp
Serving size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 228
Carbohydrates: 43g
Fat: 4.8g
Protein: 2.5g
Sugar: 28g
Sodium: 495mg
#6. Pumpkin Cake
Serving size: 1/2 cup (141g)
Calories: 270
Carbohydrates: 45g
Fat: 9g
Protein: 2.2g
Sugar: 33g
Sodium: 250mg
#5. Sweet Potato Casserole
Serving size: 1 piece
Calories: 310
Carbohydrates: 49g
Fat: 13g
Protein: 3g
Sugar: 23g
Sodium: 250mg
#4. Pumpkin Pie
Serving size: 1 slice (133g)
Calories: 323
Carbohydrates: 46g
Fat: 13g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 25g
Sodium: 318mg
#3. Mac n’ Cheese
Serving size: 160g
Calories: 349
Carbohydrates: 32g
Fat: 17.3g
Protein: 15.7g
Sugar: 5.8g
Sodium: 605mg
#2. Spinach Gratin
Serving size: 300g
Calories: 352
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fat: 26g
Protein: 17g
Sugar: 6g
Sodium: 392mg
#1. Pecan Pie
Serving size: 1 slice (122g)
Calories: 456
Carbohydrates: 65g
Fat: 21g
Protein: 4.6g
Sugar: 32g
Sodium: 483mg