The Best (and Worst) Thanksgiving Foods for Your Health
The holidays. That time of year many of us look forward to enjoying a variety of delicious dishes.
And as much as some of us may want to believe that calories, sugar, and fat don’t count once the season starts, our bodies can’t ignore them so easily. In fact, research has shown that Americans experience an average weight increase of up to 0.2 percent over Thanksgiving and 0.4 percent over Christmas. That may not sound like much, but the average person usually doesn’t lose the extra holiday weight they gain once the season ends.
This can eventually lead to creeping weight gain over months and years as weight goes on, but doesn’t come off — bringing with it an increased risk of numerous health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Further compounding the problem is that holiday foods can sometimes be deceptive, and we don’t always know what should be enjoyed in moderation or what we can feel good about revisiting for seconds.
However, knowing which end of the dietary naughty-or-nice scale holiday food items fall on can make a big difference. According to experts, these are the some of the healthiest (and unhealthiest) holiday favorites that may end up on your Thanksgiving table.