Five Best Thanksgiving Foods

Holidays ‑- especially Thanksgiving ‑- can be all about indulgence, but what happens if you're trying to watch your weight? The enticing smells and tastes of the season bring back a flood of warm memories and make us itch to create new traditions. Don't worry; you can enjoy these holiday foods to your heart's content without worrying about your waistline!

Turkey. Seventy-seven million turkeys are eaten during the holiday season alone; that's one for every four Americans. A 3½-ounce portion of turkey breast without skin has only 160 calories, and it's packed with 30 grams of protein along with zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins. Enjoy turkey, and its leftovers, as often as you want during the holiday season. But go easy on dark meat; it has twice the fat and almost 10 more calories per ounce than white meat.

Sweet potatoes. Baked, broiled, mashed or turned into pie or pudding, sweet potatoes are a healthy, low-calorie veggie you simply shouldn't ignore any time of the year, holidays included. One medium-size sweet potato has only 140 calories and twice the amount of vitamin A you need each day, along with healthy amounts of vitamin C, iron and fiber.

Green beans. Looking for a green vegetable to include in holiday planning? Don't ignore versatile green beans. At only 45 calories per cup, you don't have to skimp on portion sizes. Green beans are a good source of vitamins A, K and C, along with fiber and potassium. Try pickled green beans on your next veggie tray, toss steamed green beans with vinegar and low-fat Canadian bacon, or sprinkle quick stir-fried green beans with sliced almonds.

Hot mulled cider. We all know eggnog is loaded with calories ‑- 340 per cup. Offer spicy hot mulled cider at about 115 calories per cup at your holiday gatherings instead. Not only will you save hundreds of calories, you'll infuse your entire house with the wonderful holiday scent of mulled cider.

Citrus. We've all heard the stories of how our ancestors were thrilled with holiday gifts of oranges or grapefruit; these once-exotic fruit were never routinely available or affordable for most people. Branch out from the expected and offer your guests tangelos, clementines, pomelos or even ugli fruit. Piled high in a festive bowl for a quick snack or tossed into colorful and healthy fruit salads, you can't go wrong with the flavors, colors and less than 100 calories per cup of citrus!