Thanksgiving Day is not the healthiest day of the year, not by a long shot. It is a day of indulgence, a time for loose-fitting clothing that allows the stomach to expand. Just because the Thanksgiving meal is not healthy, that doesn’t mean you can’t establish little tricks to make it slightly healthier. Not only will these tips keep you from entering an uncomfortable food coma, but they will also keep you from becoming one with the couch all night. 

A lot of people usually pack on at least one pound during the holidays. Statistically, that weight tends to stay on the body and accumulates as the years go by. Thanksgiving doesn’t have to sabotage your weight, nor does it have to make you feel like a slob. With a little knowhow, you can build a healthier meal for yourself this year, and for years to come. 

Start With Soup

Now, soup isn’t always at every Thanksgiving table, but you can change that by making a pot. That can be your contribution to the big meal, if you are not already covering other aspects of the meal. When you go to get food, pour yourself a large bowl of soup, which should be made from seasonal vegetables. A simple butternut squash soup, potato and leek soup, or even a broccoli and carrot soup with thyme. By starting the meal with soup, you will slow down while eating and may even reduce the amount of calories you consume throughout the meal. 

Go Crazy With The Veggies

This is a rule that everyone should live by: fill up at least 50% of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Mashed potatoes and candied yams do not count, as they are loaded with butter, sugar, dairy, and other ingredients. Brussels sprouts, green beans, carrots, roasted bell peppers, or even a green salad count toward that 50%. Dietitians recommend sticking with smaller portions of starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, winter squash, and green peas to reduce caloric intake. 

Scoop Sides Sparingly

The majority of calories actually come from the side dishes, as they contain the most carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. We are talking about Mac n’ cheese, dinner rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied yams, and green bean casserole. If you take a serving of these sides, it should be no larger than half of a baseball. Also, you don’t need a dinner roll. We all know what bread tastes like!

Fill Up On Skinless Turkey Breast

Compared to most other classic Thanksgiving dishes, the turkey itself is relatively low in calories. That is especially true if you stick to skinless white meat, such as the turkey breast. Nutritionists generally recommend three ounces of protein (about the size of a deck of cards), but they say it’s acceptable to eat a little more than that on Thanksgiving. You definitely do not need five times that serving amount on your plate, as that is not an appropriate portion size, which you have to keep in mind if you want to be healthier this year. 

Practice Portion Control With Your Dessert

It is difficult to adhere to correct portion sizes when presented with a giant buffet of delicious foods you only eat once per year. Yes, you should watch your dessert portions, but keep portions in check for the entirety of the meal as well. In regards to dessert, most nine-inch pies are designed to be cut into eight slices. Most people cut six slices, and those portions are way too large. Limit the variety of desserts you eat, if the dessert table is your weakness. Stick to one slice of your favorite dessert and don’t add additional calorically-dense, sugary items like ice cream or whipped cream to your dessert. 

Lastly, you should enjoy the Thanksgiving meal with the people you love. Savor the bites you take and don’t waste your calories on foods that you find “just ok.” Eat foods that you cannot get any other time of year, such as homemade cranberry sauce, specialty sides, and pumpkin pie. Skip the mashed potatoes, chips, and rolls because you can get those any time you want.

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When we present you with a creative recipe, we try to keep it as simple as possible. The ingredient list may be long or short, but the preparation is meant to be easy. That is especially true for raw vegan recipes. A recipe should not scare you away! It should invite you to make it and inspire you to be more creative in the kitchen. That’s exactly what we though when we came up with this recipe.

All you really have to do for this recipe is soak the sunflower seeds and sun-dried tomatoes for a few hours. Blend them with the other ingredients to create the taco “meat,” and then roll up the nori wraps. Speaking of nori, make sure that you get the sheets that have not been roasted. You can usually find them at a number of grocery stores, especially health food stores. And another quick note about using the nori sheets: make sure to wet your finger and dab one end with it before you roll them up. That will help seal the roll.

These rolls differ from other raw vegan sushi rolls we’ve posted in the past. These have a raw vegan taco “meat” in the center. Roll that smoky, delicious, nutty concoction up with lettuce, bell peppers, avocado, and cilantro and you have a raw nori taquito. If you really want to go the extra mile, feel free to make your own pico de gallo or guacamole to put inside the rolls. That really just depends on the time you are willing to dedicate to this recipe. Whether you make those dips or not, these nori taquitos will have your tasted buds jumping for joy.

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Trust us when we tell you that these vegetable nori wraps are so creamy and delicious. Not only do they provide you with an array of textures, but they also deliver sweet and savory flavors. Each bite seems more balanced than the next, without ever overpowering your palate. Although you can use any mix of fruits and veggies that you enjoy, we feel that the ingredient list creates a perfect harmony.

There is an art to assembling a nori roll. First of all, when you are following a raw vegan diet, you want to make sure that the nori sheets are not roasted or flavored. They do sell raw nori sheets, so make sure you purchase those. Now, the last thing you want is for the actual nori sheet to get soggy when you roll up the contents. For this reason, lay the lettuce down first to act as a barrier between the nori sheet and the cashew cream. You can then lay down a couple other ingredients, followed by another drizzle of cashew cream. After one more layer of ingredients, you are ready to roll.

Ideally, you want to assemble all of the ingredients on one end of the nori sheet. You can then roll it up like a burrito, making sure to tightly wrap it to avoid spilling out the sides. If some ingredients fall out, don’t worry. Wet the very end strip of the nori sheet so that it can seal the roll. Wet your sharpened knife to cut the roll in as many pieces as you like. Make sure to wipe your knife between cutting rolls.

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Sometimes, you just have a craving for sushi. Going out for sushi while cleansing isn’t an option, but you can make raw vegan variations at home. It is a little time-consuming and challenging, but it’s a fun preparation process that you can do with a partner. Traditionally, raw vegan sushi recipes blend cauliflower or parsnips to create the raw “rice,” but this recipe omits the “rice” portion. This recipe creates somewhat of a pate, mimicking the texture and flavor of finely chopped salmon with a spicy mayo.

Nori seaweed is very popular in Asian cuisine, adding a slightly salty addition to dishes. Nori rolls are typically roasted, so you have to make sure that you buy the raw, un-toasted seaweed sheets to comply with the raw vegan diet. They still taste the same and exhibit the same nutritional profile, offering lots of fiber, B-vitamins, iodine, and amino acids. It’s the seaweed sheet that makes the flavor of the pate reminiscent of spicy salmon.

In addition to the pate, you can add fresh vegetables inside the rolls. You’ll blend the celery and bell pepper with the raw sunflower seeds, but you can add these vegetables and more inside the sushi roll. As per the ingredient list, you roll up shredded carrots, avocado, bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper with the pate. If you choose to add other vegetables that you enjoy, that is completely fine. Alfalfa sprouts make a great addition to any raw sushi roll, providing nice flavor, protein, and crunch. Let us know what additions or tweaks you make to the recipe in the comments below.

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When you don’t know what to make for dinner, roll up a bunch of ingredients in a cabbage leaf! This is actually a creative way to use a bunch of random ingredients that you have in your fridge. If you used half an avocado for homemade chocolate pudding and have leftover carrots or mint from other recipes, roll them up. This recipe only requires half a head of cabbage, preferably green cabbage but savoy will also work.

When you remove the leaves, one by one, make sure to remove any stiff ribs. They will make it very difficult to roll up the ingredients to essentially create little raw food burritos. Removing those stiff ribs allows for easier rolling and a less bitter, fibrous flavor. You don’t need anymore bitterness because the watercress has a very assertive, peppery flavor, which may come off slightly bitter if you aren’t familiar with it. It’s a powerful microgreen that is quite unique. It works well in a roll because you don’t need that much of it. A little provides powerful flavor, which is a pleasant balance to the sweet carrots, creamy avocado, and aromatic mint.

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If you want to succeed on the Full Body Cleanse, it’s integral to change up your meals. This is the perfect entree that makes you feel like as though you are not even eating raw vegan. The great part about this recipe is that you can make as many rolls as you want. We hope you like them, and feel free to add any other cleanse approved vegetables you enjoy to the rolls.

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This isn’t your average veggie spring roll and it isn’t paired with you average dip either. The dip packs a lot of flavor, so make sure to smother each spring roll in it when you dive in. The most tedious part of the recipe is cutting the vegetables into thin strips. You can have fun with it and spiralize some of them, but that is up to you.

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If you don’t want to eat a bowl of salad while cleansing, roll up those salad ingredients in a couple nori sheets to make vegetable sushi rolls. You can make as many rolls as you like, but 3-5 rolls should satiate your hunger. Also, feel free to put whatever salad ingredients you enjoy inside the rolls. Get creative!

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This recipe requires a little finesse to keep the rolls presentable. You are going to mess up at least one roll, but don’t fret too much. The taste is what matters most and an imperfect presentation isn’t going to alter the amazing flavors.

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If you are looking for a bigger nutritional bang for your buck, start eating broccoli in its raw form. The reason for this is because it retains its water-soluble nutrients, which are diminished during the cooking process.

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