The Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dish You're Probably Forgetting

Consider adding some green to your holiday table this year (beyond the green bean casserole). (Photo by Trinette Reed/Stocksy)

When you think about Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie are probably the dishes that come to mind. In 2012, for instance, nearly 736 million pounds of turkey were eaten on Thanksgiving. But aside from the traditional fare, there’s another dish you should consider serving at the holiday table: salad.

Yes, salad.

On a day dominated by carbs, fat and more carbs, salad can be a nice addition to your plate. Bon Appetit magazine’s editors even dedicated six pages to salad this year in the magazine’s annual Thanksgiving issue. And Karen James, author of The Vegetarian Bible, says you can give salads a seasonal touch by adding ingredients such as apples, pears, caramelized onions and nuts to the mix. “You’ll have a great holiday hit on your hands,” she says.

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But aside from being delicious, having a salad at your holiday table adds some health benefits: raw vegetables are nutrient-dense and low in calories, and depending on the roughage you choose to include, they can also have “lots of fiber to fill you up,” explains Susan Albers, Psy.D., a specialist in eating issues, weight loss, body image concerns and mindfulness at the Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center.

Fiber is vital to a healthy digestive system, helping food move properly through the digestive tract. Moreover, the healthy properties of spinach, kale and other healthy greens “provide boosts of stress-fighting and immunity-building minerals, which are perfect if you’re feeling stressed out during the holidays,” Albers adds.

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Thanksgiving salads can be kid-friendly, too. James suggests serving raw vegetables as “kebabs” that little ones can dip in dressing and eat with their hands.

Just make an effort to keep the salad salubrious by going easy on the dressing and cheese. “What we all love about Thanksgiving is that it’s such an indulgent holiday,” says Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit. “How about a little balance? You’ll be surprised how rewarding salad is.”

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