They are chock-full of vitamins and minerals, high in fiber, and rich in compounds that are good for your heart and your eyesight.
Like 'em or not, if you are a U.S. service member deployed overseas, you will see more sweet potatoes in your holiday offerings this season -- a whopping 800% more than last year.
And at the same time, you won't see as many cakes and pies gracing your Thanksgiving meal, because the Defense Logistics Agency shipped roughly 80% fewer cases of desserts to troops this year than last, according to agency data.
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Lest you fear a vegetable coup of your annual Turkey Day dinner, however, don't worry: The 360,000 pounds of holiday fare sent to deployed service members this year includes 6,210 whole turkeys weighing nearly 140,000 pounds; 95,238 additional pounds of roast turkey; 176,791 pounds of beef; 98,091 of ham; and 49,055 pounds of shrimp -- an average 26% more than last year.
"Thanksgiving is an incredibly important holiday for DLA Troop Support. It is our Super Bowl," Robin Whaley, the DLA's chief of subsistence for overseas customers, said in a news release last week. "Food is emotional, and we want to make sure that the soldiers, airmen, sailors, Guardians and Marines serving around the world have that taste of home on Thanksgiving Day."
The DLA shipped more holiday food this year to troops overseas than it has in the past five years, according to data kept by Military.com. The increase is likely the result of more personnel being stationed overseas, with 48,900 sailors underway on ships that include three carrier strike groups and one amphibious ready group, as well as roughly 165,000 troops assigned around the world as of June, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center.
The increase is despite the wind down of the war in Afghanistan and at a time where America is ostensibly not engaged in any major conflict.
Navy ships alone will receive 44,815 pounds of roast turkey; 5,564 pounds of stuffing; 23,678 pounds of pies; and, yes, 21,906 pounds of sweet potatoes -- nearly twice the amount of mashed potatoes they will get.
"Getting the turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving meals to our warfighters is one of the things we do best," DLA Troop Support Commander Army Brig. Gen. Landis Maddox said in a news release. "Many of our servicemen and women are far away from their loved ones during the holidays, and we need to make sure they have that traditional Thanksgiving dinner."
Overall, the food shipments are up 6% this year from last. Planning for the Herculean task began last March, when the services placed their order forecasts with the DLA.
A month later, the agency began purchasing ingredients, allowing ample time to ensure that the products arrive at their destinations on schedule.
According to the DLA, service members will receive 234,903 total pounds of turkey this year, including whole birds and already roasted poultry.
They will get 176,791 pounds of beef, 21% more than last year, and 98,091 pounds of ham -- a nearly 40% increase from 2023. Shrimp remains a popular staple, with the agency sending 49,055 pounds, or a 21% increase, to service members abroad.
Along with the reductions of pies and cakes, another sweet treat -- eggnog -- suffered a drastic drop in orders at just 1,004 cases, down from a high of 23,461 gallons in 2021.
The last time U.S. troops saw so little eggnog was 2017, when the DLA shipped 918 cases.
The decline in eggnog is perhaps tied to an overall drop in consumption of milk products in the U.S., down to roughly half a cup a day from two cups a day in the 1970s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
Or maybe it's because it’s just not quite as appetizing without a splash of bourbon or rum in it.
Regardless, troops will have to find something else with which to toast their holiday. A lucky few also will enjoy a chat with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or a phone call from President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
According to the Pentagon, Austin plans to spend the day speaking with service members deployed to Poland; Okinawa, Japan; at sea with the Fifth Fleet; and on land in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
And the Bidens, who attended a "Friendsgiving" dinner with 500 service members and their families Monday at U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York, will travel to Nantucket, Rhode Island, on Tuesday for their holiday, spending Thursday morning calling troops.
"Happy Thanksgiving, America," Biden said during an address this week while sparing two Minnesota-born turkeys, Peach and Blossom, from winding up on the White House dinner table. "God bless you all, and may God protect our troops."
-- Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
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