Health Benefits of Thanksgiving Dinner

Don't feel too bad about overindulging on your Thanksgiving meal. If you ate the traditional foods, you stored up on beta carotene, vitamins A and C, and protein.

Turkey is low in fat and high in protein, which is essential to the body. Turkey also is high in niacin and phosphorous, essential for strengthening bones and teeth. Because it is low in saturated fats, it also helps keep cholesterol low.

The orange color of pumpkins and sweet potatoes signals their inclusion of beta carotene. Beta carotene is an antioxidant that helps protect the body from free radical damage. It also gets converted into vitamin A by the body. Vitamin A is essential for promoting good vision, cell division, and growth and boosts the immune system.

Pumpkin also is rich in Vitamin A, calcium and potassium. In addition, pumpkin seeds are packed with many nutrients and may have a connection to reducing the risk of prostate disease. They have also been linked to treating depression since they are comprised of L-tryptophan, a compound that is said to reduce depression.

Sweet potatoes rank high in vitamin A and C. Vitamin C is good for the immune system, promotes healthy gums and produces collagen that holds bone tissue together. Regular potatoes cooked with their skin are an excellent source of potassium as well as vitamin C, fiber and the antioxidant glutathione. Potassium is great for the heart, and a regular intake of potassium may reduce the risk of stroke. Potassium also helps retain calcium in the body.

A Thanksgiving meal wouldn't be complete without cranberry sauce, and like the other Thanksgiving components, cranberries have nutritional value as well. Cranberries are perhaps best known for their prevention of urinary tract infections and for their antioxidant properties. But other research has also shown them to have anti-aging effects by protecting against loss of coordination and memory. Cranberries may also be useful in the prevention of peptic ulcers by preventing the adhesion of the bacteria that causes ulcers, and they may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by preventing the buildup of cholesterol in arteries.

Resources:

Sweet potatoes are nutritous, easy to prepare, and naturally sweet.

More than a Thanksgiving icon, turkeys are a part of the American tradition dating back hundreds of years. The National Turkey Federation supplies valuable information about the bird.

Learn more about beta carotene, a carotenoid compound found in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

November 29, 2003