Tips for a Low-Cholesterol, Heart-Healthy Thanksgiving Meal

Wondering how to prepare a low-cholesterol, heart-healthy Thanksgiving? The key to success is planning ahead and making simple modifications. Follow these seven helpful tips for a delicious, heart-healthy Thanksgiving meal you and your family will love.

Whether you are cooking the whole meal, bringing one dish—or primarily eating—there are a number of things you can do to make the holiday a little healthier.

Look for low-cholesterol and low-fat Thanksgiving recipes. Stock your kitchen with heart-healthy ingredients such as eggs, low-fat and reduced-fat dairy products, low-fat cooking spray or oil, and fat-free soups for low-cholesterol holiday cooking. Recent research has found that eating eggs is better for your cholesterol metabolism than consuming egg substitutes.

If guests will be bringing dishes, ask them to consider heart-healthy guidelines.

Plan to include plenty of low-cholesterol superfoods in your Thanksgiving dinner menu. Heart-healthy foods include vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

It is not necessarily clear whether certain parts of the turkey, such as dark meat portions or light meat portions, are higher in cholesterol, but adding additional cholesterol-rich ingredients to the turkey (like butter or lard) will raise the overall cholesterol in the dish.

When it comes to turkey, consider flavoring with a fantastic herb rub rather than with butter, which adds to the cholesterol.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends no more than 100-300 mg average daily intake of dietary cholesterol. One cup of roasted turkey has 105 mg of dietary cholesterol, so consider loading up on vegetable sides to keep your cholesterol intake low.

Vegetable sides that are recommended for heart health include dishes such as sautéed green beans or greens topped with toasted almonds and a touch of lemon, not the traditional green bean casserole made with full-fat cheese and milk.

Alcohol consumption has a complex effect on cardiovascular health. Depending on your overall health and risk factors for heart disease, your doctor may recommend that you limit or avoid alcohol.

If you need to (or want to) avoid excessive alcohol intake at Thanksgiving, you can sip on calorie-free alternatives such as water, seltzer, and diet iced tea. Keep in mind that low-calorie drinks can prevent you from overeating and may also help reduce your overall calorie consumption. Need some variety? Throw berries, melon, or cucumber into a pitcher with ice to make your own delicious flavored water.

If you have cleared your plate and are looking for seconds, start with seconds of salad or vegetable sides, which lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, instead of loading up on buttery mashed potatoes, cheesy toppings, or meat.

Remember that food is only part of Thanksgiving! Focusing on enjoying the company of your friends and family can help you resist the urge to overeat. Plan on playing family games or get the gang together for a game of touch football or a walk.

Enjoy your heart healthy, low-cholesterol Thanksgiving!