Im a dietitian my tricks for healthier Thanksgiving sides, plus my exact gravy recipe

Americans are likely to gobble up about 4,500 calories at their Thanksgiving feast on Thursday — and that’s before the inevitable late-night raid for leftovers.But minding your menu doesn’t mean you have to ditch the dishes you look forward to all year.“You may find that making small, healthy changes to your Thanksgiving meal will still give you food that you’ll love to eat and will want to make for future holidays,” Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Huntington Hospital, told The Post.Across the country, about three-quarters of Americans say they or their group will cook the holiday dinner at home, rather than ordering pre-made meals, dining at a restaurant or getting takeout, according to a YouGov survey.Schiff reveals some easy ways that home cooks can lighten up traditional Thanksgiving sides, so they can enjoy the flavors they love without waging a war on their waistline.First up: cranberry sauce. “I love cranberry sauce, but most prepared cranberry sauces or relishes are full of sugar because cranberries are naturally very acidic and tart,” Schiff said. Take Ocean Spray’s Jellied Cranberry Sauce, for example.A quarter-cup serving packs 110 calories and a whopping 24 grams of added sugar — the daily limit recommended for women by the American Heart Association.“I make my own and use half the sugar the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag calls for,” Schiff said. “I add a little Stevia (a natural, no-calorie sweetener) and add chopped, toasted walnuts for heart-healthy fats and a nice crunch,” she continued.

“I also add some grated orange zest.”Next up: Sweet potatoes. According to Schiff, the healthiest Thanksgiving sides are usually vegetables prepared with minimal fat and salt — like roasted Brussels sprouts — but the tuberous root rarely fits that description.A standard sweet potato casserole clocks in at around 276 calories per cup, and that number can climb even higher with toppin...