This article explores four traditional holiday ingredients that are also superfoods to boost your immunity during winter and beyond.

The following is a guest post from my bloggy friend Megan Isola. Interested in having a guest post on my website? Click here for my guest post submission form.

From Cranberries to Ginger: Making Your Holiday Menu Work Harder

The holidays are a season of indulgent foods, ranging from traditional pies to new twists on cranberry sauce. This year, indulgent doesn’t need to be unhealthy. With these holiday superfoods, you can boost immunity and energy while making dishes that everyone will love.

Cranberries: Antioxidants From Thanksgiving to Christmas

Cranberries are one of the most antioxidant-rich fruits native to North America. One study from the American Chemical Society found that these berries had the most phenols out of 20 fruits found in American diets. Phenols are one of the most common and effective antioxidants.

Bringing a can of cranberry sauce might be fine if you’re rushing to Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll be thrust into the debate over jellied or whole berry though, and there are much healthier options:

Cranberry Cocktails: You can use cranberry juice in everything from punch and sangria, to cosmopolitans and fruity martinis. If you need a virgin drink that kids can have, mix cranberry juice and seltzer water for a fancy non-soda beverage.
Cranberry Sauce: Cook up homemade cranberry sauce with a new twist. Making cranberry sauce is fairly foolproof, as they have natural pectin that jellies when cooked. Add cinnamon, ginger, or even a jalapeno for something that has a little kick. Cinnamon and ginger will add even more superfood power.
Cranberry Relish: Making cranberry relish just requires blending the berries with some other good things. Pecans or walnuts — themselves being superfoods — add some crunch, and citrus brings some bright acidity. Just be sure to balance out the brightness with a little sugar; you’ll still be using less than the canned stuff has. For an even more colorfully festive look at Christmas, garnish with a sprig of parsley.
Fresh Cranberries: If there happens to be a natural cranberry bog nearby, picking them can be a great pre-Thanksgiving outdoor activity. Freshly picked cranberries are good enough to be eaten on their own, being quite different from the cranberries you can buy in-store. Wild cranberry bogs are rare and sometimes closely held secrets, but great if you can find one.

Sweet Potatoes: Beyond Just the Sugary Casserole

The orange in sweet potatoes comes from beta-carotene. That’s the antioxidant that old wives’ tales claim is good for sight, but it’s good for all sorts of health aspects. Not only that, but, these yummy potatoes are safe for your pets, so if you drop a piece or two on the ground your furry one can reap the benefits too.

Sweet potatoes can be one of the best sources of beta carotene, because of how much people will eat when having them. Family and guests will take a large helping or two of sweet potato casserole, rather than just a couple of raw carrots. The sheer amount of sweet potatoes that people will eat ensures they get lots of that beta carotene.

A casserole is one of the most traditional ways to serve sweet potatoes, but it’s far from the only option:

Sweet Potato Casserole: Create the traditional marshmallow- and brown sugar-topped sweet potato for something that kids will gobble up. Sure it’s high in sugar, but at least they’ll be getting plenty of beta-carotene. Bonus points if you pass this off as dessert.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Who says mashed potatoes have to be white? Bring mashed sweet potatoes for a visually striking version of this standard dish. Leaving the skins on ensures you get even more of the nutrients than you otherwise would.
Sweet Potato Salad: Toss some sweet potatoes with cranberries, fresh spinach, and walnuts for a quadruple superfood salad. The tart, sweet, and crunch go well together and also make the dish one of the most colorful on the table. This is one dish you can make a day or two ahead of time, so the kitchen is just a little less chaotic.

Walnuts: Versatile and Affordable

Almost any nut is a good source of protein and other nutrients, but walnuts especially stand out as good holiday options. Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and they have a natural sweetness too. These are also some of the more affordable nuts you’ll find, which is helpful if making a big dish to share.

Walnuts can be incorporated into cranberry sauce or sweet potato salad, as already mentioned. They’re also good for:

Stocking Stuffers: Whole walnuts can be a fun and easy stocking stuffer — simply toss them in between other items. They’ll be a healthy snack on Christmas morning when sugar is often the main food of the day. Just be sure you have at least one nutcracker (and not the decorative kind) if you get these.
Baklava: Pistachios are the traditional nut used in baklava, but walnuts are a good and more affordable alternative. Their natural sweetness goes well with honey and pastry, and they have just the right amount of crunch. At many gatherings, you’ll be the only person who thinks to bring baklava for dessert.

Ginger: Secret Ingredient Adding Depth

Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. It might help soothe sore throats, whether from illness or dry air, and upset stomachs after eating too much during a feast.

Ginger is also one of the most versatile ingredients when you’re making sweets. You can make:

Mulled Cider or Wine: Mulled cider or wine has sweetness, spice and plenty of warmth. Ginger can add to the spice, complementing other common fall spices with a little extra flavor. This is another option to make ahead of time, and then keep warm in a pot or crockpot. If you don’t have a good and large pot, there are plenty of cookware sets that come with big ones.
Ginger Bread: Gingerbread is a popular holiday treat that can be enjoyed anytime. Have a slice for breakfast, as a side, or for dessert.
Ginger Cookies: Ginger cookies are an alternative holiday dessert that may keep longer than a loaf. Gingerbread people are fun to bake and decorate with kids. Ginger snaps have an old-timey crunch.
Apple Dishes: Whether baked apples, apple pie or apple sauce, ginger can be added along with cinnamon and nutmeg. Not many people use ginger in their apple dishes, so this will give yours a little extra depth compared to any others that are brought for a meal.

Enjoy Your Holiday Meal

With dishes like these, you’ll want to eat plenty during the holiday season. Spread the dishes out throughout the season so that you don’t gorge all in one day. Check out other holiday-eating tips to enjoy the season’s tasty dishes, without running your stomach or diet.

About the Author: Megan Isola

Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.