Holiday Eating: Hearty and Healthy

For Immediate Release: 11/8/2006

Louisville, KY…As you sit down at your holiday table, several generations of your extended family will be reoriented.  The stuffing you remove from your roast turkey was made according to your grandmother’s recipe.  The corm bread originated with your spouse’s grandmother.  The couple next door brought the sweet potato casserole and pumpkin and pecan pies, a dish inherited from their families.

“Although our ancestors may not have fretted about cholesterol or carbs, their diets were centered around fresh ingredients produced close to home”, says Barbara Martin, Clinical Nutrition Manger at Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital.  “Focus on these traditional dishes, and your holiday meals are likely to be hearty and healthy.”

Turkey:  As long as you roast it rather than deep-fry it, turkey is an excellent source of lean protein.  “A four-ounce serving of white meat provides more than 60 percent of an adult’s daily protein requirement with relatively little fat,” said Martin.  “Turkey contains many B vitamins and tryptophan, a hormone that is associated with calmness, sleepiness and a feeling of well being.”  Don’t be surprised if you nod off after your big holiday meal because of this.

Our ancestors would have eaten fresh rather than frozen turkey from the supermarket.  Fresh turkey can still be purchased, although usually at a higher price.  Frozen turkey tends to be a bit drier than fresh turkey.  To compensate processors inject soup “basting” solution, which dilutes the flavor of the meat somewhat and adds sodium.  Nutritionally, however, fresh and frozen turkeys are comparable.

Without knowing the terminology, our earlier ancestors also had the advantage of eating organic, free-range turkey, allowed to roam outside the coop and fed with grains grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  These too can be purchased today, for a price, and some believe they provide tastier, as well a healthier eating. 

Stuffing:  The stuffing or dressing that accompanies the turkey is traditionally made with a variety of nutritious ingredients – walnuts, apples, celery, onions, whole grain bread – that all get soaked with the succulent juices from the turkey.

“Those juices are fatty so baking in a casserole or cooking on the stove will make it much healthier,” said Martin.  “Broth can be used to add moisture and extra flavor.”

Mashed Potatoes:  Mashed potatoes are an essential part of any holiday meal, but you can bet your grandmother did not get her mashed potatoes out of a package.  Mashed potatoes are easy enough to make, and you can lower the fat content by using buttermilk or skim milk rather than whole or two percent. Potatoes are one of the best sources of potassium, a mineral that is essential for muscle function.

Cranberries:  Cranberries are part of the traditional Thanksgiving because this Native American berry, which grows prolifically through most of the northern United States, is harvested after Labor Day and ready for eating in October, November and December.  The bright red color adds a festive touch to any holiday table.

For many Americans today, Thanksgiving is the only time all year they eat cranberries.  That’s unfortunate because cranberries are among the world’s healthiest foods.  “Cranberries are high in antioxidants and other substances that appear to be protective against urinary tract infections, heart disease and some cancers,” said Martin.

Native Americans sweetened cranberries with honey or maple syrup, providing a model for early cranberry sauce recipes.

Winter Squash:  Winter squash are at their best from October through the end of the year.  So valued were they by Native American peoples that families often buried several with a dead person to provide sustenance on the way to the spirit world.

Winter squash is a rich source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene and, as a result, offers strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that may protect against heart disease and cancer.  It also offers ample quantities of vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber.

Sweet Potatoes:  Sweet potatoes were probably not on the menu for the first Thanksgiving; they originated in Central America and were later brought to the southern United States.  In casseroles or on their own, they are on most holiday tables today, and they are similar to squash in their nutritional value.

Pumpkin Pie:  Pumpkin was another favorite of Native Americans, who often roasted it in long strips over an open fire.  It’s said that colonists created the first pumpkin pie by cutting the top off of a pumpkin, stripping it of its seeds, filling the insides with milk, spices and honey and then baking the whole pumpkin in the ashes of an open fire.

“Dessert is not intended to be health food, but pumpkin - like sweet potatoes and winter squash - is a rich source of beta-carotene and other antioxidants,” said Martin.  “If you have a choice of pumpkin or sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving dessert, either one is going to give you plenty of vitamin A, plus satisfy your sweet tooth.”

Pecan Pie: Pecan pie is often the other dessert choice.  “Like other nuts, pecans are high in fat, but it’s the good kind (mostly monounsaturated) that have actually been found to be beneficial to heart health,” stated Martin.  “Pecans are high in fat soluble vitamins E and A, plus high in fiber.  Pecan pie is, however, significantly higher in calories and sugar than either pumpkin or sweet potato pie.”

If you have all or most of these traditional dishes on your holiday table and if you make some effort to prepare them like your grandmother did, you’ll be doing all right.  “Go easy on the gravy, remember to watch your portion size and include a little extra exercise during the holiday season,” Martin added.

ABOUT JHSMH
Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare (JHSMH) is a regional health care network that includes 70 health care facilities and 1,900 patients beds in Kentucky and southern Indiana.  The merger of Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services and CARITAS Health Services to form JHSMH combines the strength and honors the heritages of the two organizations to provide a complete array of health care services to this region and beyond, including: hospitals, emergency air ambulance services, outpatient care, nursing home care, occupational health, psychiatric care and rehab medicine.  JHSMH provides home health care to families in 41 Kentucky and southern Indiana counties, occupational health mobile services to 30 Kentucky counties and employs a network of physician practices that provide both primary and specialty medical care.  The organization employs more than 8,100 people.

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