This 'Healthy' Aldi Thanksgiving Side Has Fans Confused
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us have already begun to plan our menus and gather ingredients, eagerly anticipating an epic feast. While some are happy to simply don a chic pair of elastic-waist pants and commit to a day of overindulgence, others may prefer to take a lighter approach to the big meal, particularly when it comes to the side dishes. So, when Instagram user @aldi.guru posted a photo of Aldi's Season's Choice Riced Cauliflower Stuffing, waistline-watchers everywhere rejoiced at the notion of a healthy alternative to traditional bread stuffing.
The riced cauliflower stuffing from Aldi is loaded with carrots, celery, onions, cranberries, garlic, and herbs, and the package touts it as an option for "healthier holidays." This savory-sounding, reimagined stuffing certainly seems like a fine substitute for one of the most popular Thanksgiving sides. Plus, all the veggies in the ingredients list have us thinking we can just skip those extra post-Thanksgiving miles on the treadmill this year. Unfortunately, though, the nutrition information tells a different story.
Aldi's riced cauliflower stuffing might be less healthy than traditional stuffing
At first glance, Aldi's Season's Choice Riced Cauliflower Stuffing definitely appears to be a figure-friendly addition to your Thanksgiving table. But, a closer look at the nutrition info suggests that substituting riced cauliflower for bread in your Thanksgiving stuffing does not necessarily make for a healthier dish. Shocking, right? Well, Aldi Reviewer compared Aldi's Season's Choice Riced Cauliflower Stuffing to two types of traditional bread stuffing found at Aldi, and while the cauliflower version does contain 30 fewer calories and six fewer grams of fat than the bread versions, the carbohydrate and sodium content were a major surprise.
It turns out, a half-cup serving of Aldi's Riced Cauliflower Stuffing contains 30 grams of carbohydrates, compared to approximately 20 grams in the same serving of bread stuffing. To be fair, Aldi Reviewer points out that some of those carbs in the cauliflower version may come from the eight grams of fiber. But, even if all that good fiber balances out the carbs, nothing is saving you from the staggering 1,420 milligrams of sodium in the Season's Choice Riced Cauliflower Stuffing. The traditional bread stuffings from Aldi clocked in at an average of only 425 grams of sodium per serving. So, if you really want healthier holidays this year, you may want to skip this salty stuffing and stick to the classics. Or, ditch the stuffing all together and opt for a few non-traditional Thanksgiving sides instead!