5 Tips for Keeping Thanksgiving Happy AND Healthy!
“It’s only ONE day of the year so why bother watching what I eat?” I have heard this statement more times than I can count!
Is it really just ONE day? One day of inflammatory eating leads to inflammation in the body for a least 5 days and if you have leftovers for a few days it can be much longer.
My experience is that Thanksgiving is the gateway towards overeating for the rest of the year and by New Year’s Day there are many regrets.
So, how do you still enjoy Thanksgiving and make it a little less painful on January 1st, 2024 so you are starting off the year with no regrets?
Here’s 5 ideas to get you started:
1. Choose your fats wisely: most conventional oils on the market are inflammatory (soybean, canola, vegetable, corn, etc.). Substitute grass-fed organic butter, ghee or organic coconut oil in your recipes if possible. If you use extra virgin olive oil, use for dressings or marinades, and avoid high temperature cooking as it becomes damaged and produces AGE’s and acrolein (toxic substance produced when oil becomes hot). If you need to use an oil, consider organic avocado or coconut oil.
2. Cut sugar in your recipes by 50%. Most of the time you will not notice since many recipes contain too much sugar. If you want to go to the next level, swap out raw honey or organic maple syrup for sugar. Avoid fake or alternative sweeteners which are hard on the gut and are many times sweeter than real sugar.
3. Consider the ingredients in your recipes and swapping out alternatives. Although packaged and canned products can make things a little easier, they may contain many inflammatory ingredients that are not in favor of your health. Just reading the long list of these ingredients will give you a clue as to this concept.
4. Try a new healthier version of one recipe you normally make. Healthy Thanksgiving recipes abound on the internet and on my site, there are alternatives for green beans, stuffing, and other family favorites.
5. Be discerning with holiday beverages – the pumpkin chai lattes, eggnogs, alcoholic drinks all add up and count as sugar. You may be ingesting a complete meal’s worth of calories and carbs in just one of those beverages without knowing it.
Why not make this one day a launching pad for creating health in the New Year? Besides feeling better that night, you will wake up on Jan 1st, 2024 with more Thankfulness for choosing your happiness and health!
November 12, 2023 @ 6:55 pm
Thx. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Patrice