The Healthy Secrets of Thanksgiving Foods

Fresh Cranberry Sauce or Canned?

Winner: Fresh

“Hands down, it’s fresh,” says Sass. Cranberries are a great source of vitamin C and have infection-fighting properties that help prevent urinary tract infections, ulcers, and gum disease. While canned sauce will offer some of those benefits, it’s typically made with high fructose corn syrup, so “with every bite you get a lot more sugar than you do cranberry,” says Sass. With homemade, you control how much sugar you put in, and “it will definitely be richer in vitamin C,” says Largeman-Roth, who keeps the dish simple by boiling cranberries on the stove with a small amount of orange juice or sugar. Sass recommends sweetening your homemade side with maple syrup and adding in antioxidant-rich seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and citrus zest.