8 Holiday Foods With Surprising Health Benefits

Pumpkin spice has been a long-standing holiday flavor trend in foods and beverages. That would be fine except that “spice” often means added sugars, not just nutmeg and cinnamon.

But pumpkin itself is a nutrition powerhouse high in fiber, vitamins A and C (important for vision and fighting infection), and antioxidants, and it has just 30 calories per cup. Whether you’re using it in a pie or a savory dish such as risotto or pasta, choose a fresh or frozen version, says Allison Sylvetsky, PhD, an associate professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

“If you’re opting for canned, make sure you read the label,” she adds. Look for 100 percent pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. That has 120 calories and 27 grams of sugars in a half-cup—nearly 7 teaspoons—a vast majority of it added sigars. And that’s even before it gets into the pie.