Is Your Thanksgiving Meal Nutritious?

Let’s do a thought experiment, shall we? Imagine a world where you could choose any food to eat as the main course, a side, or for dessert on Thanksgiving. The only caveat is that you must eat the most nutritious items commonly consumed in a Thanksgiving feast. What would you choose? We’ll be exploring this idea and crowning a winning meal in the bid for most nutritious Thanksgiving Feast in this month’s newsletter.

Method

Using the top 20 food items chosen in the 2020 YouGov poll and top four food items from the 2020 HouseMethod Google Trends compilation, we’ll take each of the item’s average caloric content and compare it to their nutrient density (using Nutritionix.com’s database) to determine the most nutritious food items; A lower caloric content but higher nutrient density = nutritiousness. 

The nutrients we will be comparing for the Main Courses are protein and the most-abundant micronutrient. 

The nutrients being compared in the Sides and Desserts will be the top three micronutrients found in each dish. 

Priority will be given to the top 5 nutrients considered by the USDA as “public health concern[s]...” being Calcium, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, and Iron.¹

Then, we’ll have a Thanksgiving feast consisting of ONE main course, THREE sides, and ONE dessert.


The Contenders.² ³

Main Course (4oz/113g serving):

Roasted Turkey (whole) - 214cal | 32g protein | 6.9% DV Iron

Honey-Baked Ham - 138cal | 20.4g protein | 2.5% DV Iron

Roast Beef - 134cal | 20.7g protein | 13.4% DV Iron

Roast Chicken (whole) - 253cal | 26.7g protein | 7.9% DV Iron

Sides (210g serving):

Mashed Potatoes - 237cal | 37% DV Vit. C | 7.9% DV Vit. A | 3.4% DV Calcium

Stuffing - 413cal | 21% DV Vit. A | 11.3% DV Iron | 4.9% DV Calcium

Bread Rolls - 570cal | 41.3% DV Iron | 28.5% DV Calcium | N/A

Scalloped Potatoes - 185cal | 36.9% DV Vit. C | 9.4% DV Calcium | 6.7% DV Iron

Roasted Sweet Potatoes - 316cal | 63.2% DV Vit. C | 8.4% DV Iron | 6% DV Calcium

Gravy - 99.5cal | 1.6% DV Calcium | 1% DV Iron | 0.1% DV Vit. A

Green Beans (cooked) - 73.9cal | 33.6% DV Vit. C | 26.9% DV Vit. A | 7.6% DV Iron

Mac & Cheese (homemade) - 460cal | 37.9% DV Calcium | 18.9% DV Vit. A | 8.4% DV Iron

Corn (cobbed) - 202cal | 19.2% DV Vit. C | 11% DV Vit. A | 5.3% DV Iron

Potato Salad - 301cal | 35.3% DV Vit. C | 7.6% DV Iron | 6.6% DV Vit. A 

Green Bean Casserole - 182cal | 8.1% DV Vit. A | 7.9% DV Iron | 5.3% DV Calcium

Salad - 49.4cal | 306.3% DV Vit. A | 61.8% DV Vit. C | 11.9% DV Iron

 

Dessert (100g serving):

Pumpkin Pie - 243cal | 68.4% DV Vit. A | 5% DV Iron | 4.9% DV Calcium

Brownies - 466cal | 16.6% DV Vit. A | 10.2% DV Iron | 4.4% DV Calcium

Pecan Pie - 412cal | 7.1% DV Vit. A | 8.2% DV Iron | 2.5% DV Calcium

Pumpkin Cheesecake - 316cal | 51.6% DV Vit. A | 5.8% DV Iron | 5% DV Calcium

 

The Results

For our main course, the winner is… Roast Beef! Based on the amount of protein and iron per calorie, Roast beef beats out the next closest competitor (Turkey).

For our three sides, the winners are (in order)... Salad, Green Beans, and Scalloped Potatoes! For reasons likely suspected, the lack of calories and naturally-occurring nutrients allowed these three entries to beat out all others in a bid for the most nutritious sides.

For our dessert, the winner is… Pumpkin Pie! Pumpkin’s Vit. A content along with the pie’s overall iron & calcium contents shined beautifully through its lower calorie content when compared to its competitors.

Did you get it right? Were you surprised? Personally, roast beef wasn’t even an option in my mind as a thanksgiving dish, but national polling said otherwise! If you’d like professional assistance navigating the confusing world of nutrition during the holiday season, don’t hesitate to reach out to my email (below) or sign up for one of our Nutrition Programs. Enjoy your November season of Thankfulness!

NutritionBallard Health Club