They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, high in fiber, and rich in compounds that are good for your heart and eyesight.

Like them or not, if you’re a U.S. military member deployed overseas, you’ll see more sweet potatoes in your holiday deals this season, up 800% from 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 about 80 percent fewer cases of desserts to troops this year than last year , according to agency data.

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However, don’t worry if you’re worried about a vegetable hit at your annual Turkey Day dinner: The 360,000 pounds of holiday meals sent to deployed service members this year include 6,210 whole turkeys weighing nearly 140,000 pounds ; an additional 95,238 pounds of roast turkey; 176,791 pounds of beef; 98,091 ham; and 49,055 pounds of shrimp, an average of 26% more than last year.

“Thanksgiving is an extremely important holiday in supporting DLA troops. It’s our Super Bowl,” Robin Whaley, DLA’s chief of subsistence services for foreign customers, said in a press release last week . “Food is a source of emotion, and we want to ensure that Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Guardsmen and Marines serving around the world have that taste of home on Thanksgiving Day.”

This year, DLA shipped more Christmas food to troops overseas than in the past five years, according to data maintained by Military.com. The increase is likely the result of more personnel stationed overseas, with 48,900 sailors underway on ships including three carrier strike groups and an amphibious strike group, as well as approximately 165,000 troops assigned worldwide in June, according to the Defense Department. Data center.

This increase comes despite the end of the war in Afghanistan and at a time when America is not visibly engaged in any major conflict.

Navy the 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 – almost twice the amount of mashed potatoes they will get.

“Providing our warfighters with turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving meals is one of the things we do best,” said DLA Troop Support Commander. Army Brig. said General Landis Maddox in a press release. “Many of our service members are away from their loved ones during the holidays, and we need to make sure they enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.”

Overall, food shipments increased 6% this year compared to last year. Planning for this herculean mission began last March, when the services transmitted their order forecasts to the DLA.

A month later, the agency began purchasing ingredients, giving them enough time to ensure the products arrived at their destination on time.

According to the DLA, the military will receive a total of 234,903 pounds of turkey this year, including whole birds and already-roasted poultry.

They will receive 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, the agency sending 49,055 pounds, an increase of 21%, to military personnel overseas.

Along with the reductions in pies and cakes, another sweet treat – eggnog – suffered a drastic drop in orders to just 1,004 cases, down from a 2021 high of 23,461 gallons.

The last time U.S. troops saw so little eggnog was in 2017, when the DLA shipped 918 cases.

The decline in eggnog consumption may be linked to an overall decline in dairy consumption in the United States, which fell to about half a cup per day from two cups per day in the 1970s. according to the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Or maybe it’s because it’s just not as appetizing without a hint of bourbon or rum.

Either way, the troops will have to find something else to celebrate their holiday. A lucky few will also be able to chat with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or receive a phone call from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

According to the Pentagon, Austin plans to spend the day speaking with military personnel 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 Monday with 500 U.S. military personnel and their families. Coast Guard Sector New York will travel to Nantucket, Rhode Island, on Tuesday for vacation, spending Thursday morning calling in troops.

“Happy Thanksgiving, America,” Biden said during a speech this week while sparing two Minnesota-born turkeys, Peach and Blossom, from ending up on the White House dinner table. “God bless you all and God protect our troops.”

— Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

Related: 12 Vietnam-Era Thanksgivings to Remember, Told by Veterans

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