Make Thanksgiving a Feast of Health

Instead of buying a self-basting turkey, baste your own bird with low-fat, low-sodium chicken stock. Rubbing herbs and olive oil under the skin of the meat will give it more flavor. When the turkey is done, use the drippings -- "de-fatted" -- to make gravy. "De-fat" by pouring the drippings into a baggie that you've set in a large measuring cup. The fat will rise to the top of the baggie. Then lift the bag out of the measuring cup, prick the bottom and pour the de-fatted drippings back into a pan before thickening with flour or cornstarch.Whole wheat English muffins cut up into cubes are a great base for stuffing, Goldberg said, increasing nutrients, adding more fiber to the stuffing and tasting good. And don't be shy about adding vegetables and fruits like chopped apples or cranberries to the traditional celery and onions in your recipe.Steam or roast vegetables, and serve lots of them. Instead of butter and cream sauces, try low-fat products and/or flavor the dishes with shallots, carmelized onions, lemon zest, herbs and spices.Make it easy on yourself by using frozen vegetables and the bags of prewashed and cut-up vegetables now available in most supermarkets. For only a slight extra cost, you can save time and provide healthful choices.Vary rich pie desserts with an apple crisp or crumble.

"Your food will taste like the traditional recipes. Only the cook has to know the secrets," Goldberg said.

Looking for other nutritious treats? How about kiwis?

"In a recent study, kiwi was found to be one of the most nutritionally dense fruits out of 27 fruits," Stephanie Dean, a dietitian with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, said in a prepared statement.

Kiwis are full of antioxidants, vitamin E and lutein, and they ward off vision problems, blood clots and even lower cholesterol, Dean said.

Dean's also high on cranberries. "The crimson color of cranberries signal that they are full of flavonoids," she explained, adding that flavonoids are high in antioxidants and help prevent everything from infections to strokes and cancer.

And, for a final recommendation, Dean likes broccoli sprouts, which, she said, are sold by the package and can be thrown on top of salads or be an addition to sandwiches.

"Broccoli sprouts have been shown to actually contain 20 percent more anti-cancer agents than regular broccoli," Dean said.

More information

For a selection of tasty and nutritious Thanksgiving recipes, including Goldberg's sweet potato casserole, visit the University of Michigan.

SOURCES: Kathy Goldberg, M.S., R.D., dietitian and culinary arts specialist, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MFit program; Alice Lichtenstein, D.S.C., Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, Friedman School, Tufts University, Boston; Nov. 12, 2007, news release, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas