3 Healthy Side Dishes for the Feast that Are Easy to Make

Healthy Side Dishes

If you’re looking for healthier side dishes to pair with the turkey, we’ve selected a few new dishes that are both delicious and healthy. Say hello to these modern sides that are bound to become your holiday go-tos.

(Related: 15 Healthy Recipes to Add to Your Menu for the Holiday Feast)

Rainbow Chard

With its crayon-box range of hues, rainbow chard always looks good on a holiday spread, but it’s actually easy on the eyes in more ways than one. A modest 1/2-cup portion of cooked chard packs a bounty of vision-protecting carotenoids, such as betacarotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, and delivers 30 percent of your vitamin A needs. What’s more, research has linked this incredible carotenoid cocktail to a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Get the recipe: Lemony Rainbow Chard with Dried Cranberries

Brussels Sprouts

Your four-year-old self may have kicked up a fuss every time these landed on the dinner table, but as an adult you can be thankful for their cancer-fighting powers. Brussels sprouts are part of the brassica family, a cruciferous grouping that also includes broccoli, cabbage and kale. Like other vegetables in the brassica family, Brussels sprouts are loaded with glucosinolates, which break down to release DNA-protecting compounds. While human research is limited, there are a number of early studies that link the consumption of brassica vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, to a reduced risk of lung, stomach, breast, colon and prostate cancers.

Get the recipe: Roasted Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts with Vanilla Bean Brown Butter Glaze

Acorn Squash

Sweet potatoes and pumpkin get all the holiday love for their antioxidant-rich flesh, but don’t overlook the heart-healthy possibilities of acorn squash. A 1/2-cup portion of the sunny orange gourd packs more than 10 percent of your daily potassium, a nutrient that may help lower your risk of hypertension and stroke. In fact, a recent meta-analysis found that an increase of just 1.64 grams of potassium each day (more than one-quarter of which you’ll get from that modest portion of squash) may reduce your risk by 21 percent. And don’t throw away the seeds either: Those tiny nutrient bombs are packed with monounsaturated fats, the good-for-you fats that may help lower both total and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Throwing them together in this sweet and spicy side will give your family’s taste buds and hearts a lot to thank you for!

Get the recipe: Garam Masala Glazed Acorn Squash

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