Trim Thanksgiving: Sweet Potatoes

By , SparkPeople Blogger
This is the first in a series of blog posts about how to slim down your Thanksgiving side dishes and treats. For more information about healthier Thanksgiving cooking, read this article.

The poor yam and sweet potato. These brightly colored and antioxidant-rich vegetables are naturally sweet, but their flavors are masked by loads of brown sugar and marshmallows on Thanksgiving.

Typical candied yams or sweet potatoes:
Serving size=3/4 cup (about the size of a baseball)
240 calories 7 g fat


Six ounces (3/4 cup) of sweet potatoes only have 180 calories (plus they're packed full of beta carotene, vitamin C and ), so the remaining 80 calories and all that fat usually come from sweeteners.

Tips:
  • Use just a touch of honey or real maple syrup to accentuate the sweet potatoes.
  • Leave the marshmallows for s'mores and hot cocoa.
  • These recipes have a third of the fat and calories as the original.
  • Even sweet potato pie can be slimmed down to fewer than 150 calories a serving. (Try baking it without the crust to save 112 calories and 7.5 calories per slice.)
    How do you serve sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving? I'll be making sweet potato pie, for sure, but this sweet potato stir fry by Mark Bittman sounds good, too.