It’s finally here! Starting this Wednesday, Her Campus collegiettes? will be taking planes, trains and automobiles to Thanksgiving destinations around the country. Whether you’re headed home to your family, gearing up to meet your significant other’s parents or staying around campus this weekend, you’re likely going to indulge in a delicious Thanksgiving meal (or three, if your family likes to drag the event out through lunch, dinner and brunch like mine does!).
While we may feel guilty about the eating extravaganza that is synonymous with Thanksgiving, many of the traditional dishes do offer some serious nutritional benefits. Here’s what you can feel good about adding to your plate:
Turkey: this lean protein source helps keep you full for hours and may help control pie-induced insulin spikes.
Cranberry Sauce: 1 serving of cranberry sauce contains about ¾ of the daily Vitamin C recommendation and about ¼ of the manganese you need. Antioxidants abound in this sweet and tangy dish as well.
Pumpkin Pie: when made with pumpkin puree, this dessert provides Vitamins A, C, E, and K and contains minerals such as calcium, iron and potassium.
As someone who actively seeks out any excuse to put my chef’s hat on, I was ecstatic to find out about the New York Times Well Blog’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving series. Vegetarian dishes don’t automatically come with a “100% healthy” guarantee; they are, however, an easy way to up your intake of veggies at this typically starch-heavy holiday feast.
Here are links to a few of my favorites from this blog:
Curried Lentil, Squash and Apple Stew
Cajun Cornbread Casserole
Winter Squash and Sage Blini
Parmesan and Dill Popcorn
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie (Vegan!)
In the spirit of the holiday, I’m thankful for the opportunity to enjoy family, friends and (most of all) food! I hope you get a chance to reflect on what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving—if you can’t think of anything, have another piece of Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie and then try again J.