Thanksgiving Superfoods: Add These to Your Shopping List

Thanksgiving won’t look the same this year. Although the familiar faces likely won’t be sitting around your table, you can bet the familiar foods will.

It’s unfortunate that Thanksgiving dinner gets such a bad reputation. It really isn’t deserved. Most of the items that make up the super meal are actually healthy superfoods.

Having a healthy Thanksgiving comes down to two factors: preparation and portion control. If you handle these things, you can take advantage of some holiday health benefits.

Let’s take a look at how to convert Thanksgiving into a superfood-filled holiday meal.

First, let’s identify some non-food related hacks to help you through.

• Stay hydrated throughout the day.
• Avoid saving all your calories for the big meal. Snack on healthy foods like apples or nuts, and be sure to do so about two hours before dinner.
• When it’s time to fill up your dinner plate, focus on getting half of it filled with bright vegetables.

Without further ado, here are some Thanksgiving superfoods.

Turkey: Turkey is a high-quality source of lean protein and immune-strengthening tryptophan. Keep your serving size to about the size of your hand, and don’t load it up with gravy. Roast instead of deep-frying to keep fat intake in check.

Brussels sprouts: Just one cup of Brussel’s sprouts offers four grams of fiber for heart and digestive health. It’s also a great source of vitamin C to help keep you healthy. Drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with cracked pepper, and roast at 400° for about 15 minutes.

Cranberry sauce: Cranberry is a nutritious superfood packed with antioxidants. Store-bought jellies, of course, are loaded with sugar and not recommended. But you can make your own.

To boost this popular Thanksgiving side’s nutrition, you can use fresh cranberry, orange juice, and cinnamon as an alternative to sugar. You can also put cranberries into stuffing or in salads.

Winter squash: Take your pick of winter squash to garnish your plate this Thanksgiving. They can be used as an alternative to pasta and are a great ingredient for soups. Most varieties are rich in fiber and vitamin A.

These aren’t the only superfoods of the season: sweet potato, chestnuts, and apples fit into the category as well.

Make healthy choices and avoid overeating to get the most of your Thanksgiving this year, even if you can’t be in the company of loved ones.