Posted on 11/19/2022 6:44:48 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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13 Holiday Foods That Are Actually Good for You
Healthy eating over the holidays doesn’t have to be impossible. In fact, you’re likely already eating some of the best foods for your weight and health without even knowing it. Here, nutritionists dish on which festive foods won’t wreck your waistline this season.
Brussels sprouts
This vegetable is high in fiber, says Neda Varbanova of Healthy with Nedi, who has a master’s degree in food studies and is a certified culinary nutritionist and holistic health coach. This means that filling up on them will keep you satiated for longer and promote healthy digestion. Plus, one cup contains all of your daily requirements for immune-boosting vitamins K and C, Varbanova adds. Not sure how to cook brussels sprouts?
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the perfect side for non-meat eaters, according to Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN of Maya Feller Nutrition. “It’s an excellent source of plant-based protein in addition to having fiber and vitamins K, C, and also vitamin B6, which helps with brain development and helps the body make the good mood hormone serotonin.”
Acorn squash
“Acorn squash contains a bioavailable form of beta-carotene—a pigment known to protect against heart disease and cancers,” says Varbanova. “It’s also an anti-inflammatory food, which helps to fight chronic inflammation.” Everything from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis is considered inflammatory conditions, and piling your plate up with acorn squash can help reduce your flare-ups and symptoms.
Collard greens
Feller recommends this mild green as a sauteed, stewed, or steamed side. Raw collard greens are 90 percent water and a high source of the antioxidant vitamin C. Collard greens also provide calcium and are a low-calorie veggie–a half-cup yields about 33 calories.
Green beans
“Green beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat during the holidays, especially when boiled or steamed,” says Varbanova. (This means you should keep it simple and skip any casserole-style options which are typically packed with saturated fat and calories.) “One cup of green beans contains 10 percent of your daily folate requirement, virtually no fat and 4 grams of fiber.”
More info, and recipes at link:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/holiday-foods-that-are-actually-good-for-you/
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
(((HUGS)))
SW Wisconsin is getting JANUARY weather in NOVEMBER! Ugh! The die-hards have been in the field since 6am this morning. It is 24 degrees, windy and snowing on and off. Gun Season opener for Deer Season, 2022. It's not the WORST we've had, but certainly not the best, either. Keeping coffee on for anyone that needs to come in and warm up! Pictures later of my snow-covered garden. I'm officially DONE for the season. Yay!
Grapefruit:
Oranges:
And Lemons:
Helping me get ready for family over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Is there anything better?
Holiday Foods That Are Actually Good for You
Healthy eating over the holidays doesn’t have to be impossible. In fact, you’re likely already eating some of the best foods for your weight and health without even knowing it. Here, nutritionists dish on which festeive foods won’t wreck your waistline this season.
Brussels sprouts
This vegetable is high in fiber, says Neda Varbanova of Healthy with Nedi, who has a master’s degree in food studies and is a certified culinary nutritionist and holistic health coach. This means that filling up on them will keep you satiated for longer and promote healthy digestion. Plus, one cup contains all of your daily requirements for immune-boosting vitamins K and C, Varbanova adds. Not sure how to cook brussels sprouts?
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the perfect side for non-meat eaters, according to Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN of Maya Feller Nutrition. “It’s an excellent source of plant-based protein in addition to having fiber and vitamins K, C, and also vitamin B6, which helps with brain development and helps the body make the good mood hormone serotonin.”
Acorn squash
“Acorn squash contains a bioavailable form of beta-carotene—a pigment known to protect against heart disease and cancers,” says Varbanova. “It’s also an anti-inflammatory food, which helps to fight chronic inflammation.” Everything from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis is considered inflammatory conditions, and piling your plate up with acorn squash can help reduce your flare-ups and symptoms.
Collard greens
Feller recommends this mild green as a sauteed, stewed, or steamed side. Raw collard greens are 90 percent water and a high source of the antioxidant vitamin C. Collard greens also provide calcium and are a low-calorie veggie–a half-cup yields about 33 calories.
Green beans
“Green beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat during the holidays, especially when boiled or steamed,” says Varbanova. (This means you should keep it simple and skip any casserole-style options which are typically packed with saturated fat and calories.) “One cup of green beans contains 10 percent of your daily folate requirement, virtually no fat and 4 grams of fiber.”
Clear and cool with a bit of snow this past week here in Central Missouri. The covid didn’t kill me and I’m getting a little stronger every day. I managed half-days working from home all week. Should be back to full speed, or close to it at least, by Monday. Mrs. Augie is about three days behind me but she’s on the mend.
Turns out I didn’t kill all of the seedlings that I had started in the greenhouse. About half of them survived the neglect they suffered while I was on the couch.
Before I got sick my Nephew helped me put the plastic over the pole bean arbor. We thought it was secured well enough to still be there the next day when we would get back to working on it but the wind came up up overnight and undid all of our good work. I need to re-fit the sheeting and come up with a better way of securing it.
The garlic is peeking out of its mulch blanket ~6” already. Should be well on the way to another bumper crop.
All of the effort put into canning last summer paid off while we were down with the covid. We used a quart of spaghetti sauce, a quart of tomato juice, a quart of sauerkraut, and plenty of Mrs. Augie’s fermented pickles for some low-effort/high-quality meals. Couldn’t properly enjoy it thanks to being sick but I know it was good for us.
I retrieved Nanner’s steering cylinder from the hydraulics doc yesterday after work. I’m not quite strong enough yet to tackle reinstalling it on the tractor but it’s ready to go when I’m feeling up to the task.
That’s some beautiful citrus. I have failed with citrus. My lemon tree has yellow leaves. My tangerine tree died. Maybe we don’t get enough sunlight. We live next to a shady hillside in Southern California.
OTOH I have a volunteer native oak tree which is thriving. And a jacaranda that is super tall. But only the squirrels benefit from what those trees produce.
Thanks, Pete!
Your citrus looks so healthy, fresh and wonderful! And your Garden Helpers get more cute by the week! :)
So glad you’re feeling better!!
Good point about having a full pantry; you never know what’s going to come up. For me, it would be a blizzard or sub-zero temps that would keep me stuck in the house. It’s a good feeling to know you can throw together a meal from canned goods, self-stable milk, canned meats, etc. if need be.
Again, so glad you and Mrs. Augie are on the mend. :)
I love all of those except for cauliflower, which I don’t mind if it’s chopped up into a salad.
After raking leaves for the umpteenth time this year, I’m hoping it will slow down soon. My lawn is covered again thanks to my neighbors who don’t rake theirs before the wind blows everything over to my house. I shouldn’t gripe, but dang it. It’s really getting to me these last two years. I think in part because we cut down one of our pin oaks that wasn’t healthy, and I guess I thought most of the leaves were from it. Now I’ve discovered it’s really coming from my neighbors’ trees.
I dug up one of the shallots that I thought might be ready to harvest. I replanted it within a few hours. Figure I’ll see if it doesn’t do any better if I let it go until next season. Can’t do much worse.
I’ve taken a vow not to eat any of those things on Thanksgiving Day.
That’s my day to cut loose for one day and eat such horrible things as stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green been casserole, jello “salad” made with pineapple, nuts and cool whip, with mince and pumpkin pie for dessert.
Day after?
Those things - cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts (well, maybe not those) beets can return.
I think your citrus most likely isn’t getting enough sunlight and heat. Sometimes an iron deficiency in the soil can cause the leaves to turn yellow as well.
We recently had a 12-day, miserable heat wave with temps over 100 degrees every day, some days up to 110.
The only things that were able to cope with that kind of heat was my cactus garden and my citrus trees, everything else took a beating, I even lost two roses which can normally withstand the heat.
I’ve seen citrus grown in the heat of the Arizona desert.
Glad you are feeling better and that you can work from home.
Its hard if you are both sick. Nothing gets done, no one wants to cook. Laundry and dishes pile up.
I LOVE Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday of the year. I also love to cook, so I enjoy making dishes. My only “issue” is that I eat very, very low carb - 0-20 grams per day (health reasons). I rarely ‘cheat’ - might do a tablespoon or two of something ‘carby’ on Thanksgiving, but for the most part, I stay low carb. Turkey is fine, I make a low carb Brussels Sprouts casserole (a big hit with everyone), low carb gravy & generally I make my own stuffing - this year, I’m doing more of a ‘dressing’. I’m trying a Sweet Fauxtato casserole recipe (uses pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes - supposed to be really good) & I’m also making deviled eggs (something I’m more or less “expected” to bring). So my low carb plate will have: turkey & gravy, dressing, Sweet Fauxtato casserole, Brussels Sprouts casserole & deviled eggs. I may add a tablespoon each of green bean casserole & corn pudding. My SIL wants to use my gravy - she gets very nervous worrying about gravy turning out ... mine works great.
My brother is low carb & my nephew is a Type 1 diabetic so they load up on the dishes I make, then fill in with a little bit of food with some carbs. There’s plenty of food for all to suit everyone’s needs - low carb food is very filling, so if you eat protein & low carb first, there’s hardly any room for anything else.
I am making the ‘traditional’ turkey, my brother is spatchcocking & smoking one & we have an extra turkey breast. This year, I’m adding an herbed butter instead of just regular butter for slathering the turkey before going in the oven.
As of 9 am, the turkey is out of the freezer and in my SIL’s spare fridge to thaw (along with the another turkey my brother is going to smoke).
Went to Walmart this morning (ugh) - there by 8 am. Low crowds. I was worried about finding Swerve (sugar substitute), nuts and heavy duty Reynolds wrap - all must haves. No problem - they had plenty & the nuts were rolled back to last year’s prices, which was nice.
The only things I didn’t get were mushrooms & cauliflower - just too early.
No gardening this weekend or coming week. I need a break.
The Big Three projects for the fall are done: existing fence panels are refurbished, compost bin is full, pine needles for mulch next year are in the pole barn.
Working on some handmade items that have to be done by Thursday so I can give them to the recipients - probably won’t see them at Christmas. It’s cold & sunny today, tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, then milder weather for the week -60’s for Thursday/Friday. We’ll probably have a fire pit in the backyard after The Feast - good times. I’ll see all my little great-nieces (2) & great-nephews (2) plus one that is still a bun in the oven :-) As I said before, Thanksgiving is my very favorite ... food & family time.
Have a great week/Thanksgiving, everyone.
What do you use for your gravy for thickening?
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