This year, and every year, I have so much to be thankful for---a healthy body, a fridge full of food and the opportunity to see one of my life dreams literally built before my eyes--- the Good Food Gardens.

As I'm counting my blessings, I don’t care to count the pounds of butter or quarts of cream that go into the Thanksgiving meal for my family of 12 (My husband, my Mom and Dad, my three siblings, their spouses and kids) at our family home in Rockford, IL. It’s not a day for discussing RDA (Recommended Daily Allowances)!

But if there is one thing I’m good at, it's looking at the bright side. So I'll be the first to tell you that despite its downfalls (calories and cholesterol, to name a few), the traditional thanksgiving table is also loaded with nutrients.

Here’s a lineup of the good stuff you may find at your holiday table.  

Fresh Cranberries: Low in calories, high in vitamin C, and known to promote urinary health, new studies show cranberries may also promote gastrointestinal and oral health, lower LDL (bad) and raise HDL (good) cholesterol, and aid in Cancer prevention.

Sweet potatoes: These little sweeties are off the chart for Vitamin A, and also include dozens of other valuable nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnese, copper, fiber, potassium and iron.

Pecans: Most heralded for their protein, energy producing carbohydrates and healthy fats, pecans also contain iron, calcium, vitamins A, B, and C, potassium and phosphorous.

Potatoes: Vitamin C, B6, copper and potassium are all good reasons to have a heaping helping of potatoes, preferably with the skin on. Easy on the butter and salt!

Green beans: The abundant list of vitamins in green beans—from abundant Vitamin K, to Vitamins A, B1, B2 and C—and nutrients—magnese, potassium, folate, iron, copper and calcium, to name a few— is enough to be thankful for on its own. And those little green pods also host protein, omega 3s and very few calories.

Whatever is on your holiday table, just go easy. Too much of a good thing is still too much! That goes for cooking time too—don’t let those nutrients get lost in translation!

Happy Thanksgiving!