“Healthy holiday eating”
Is this really a thing? I know that anyone who has been working hard at changing their diet and losing weight will likely be looking for healthier versions of the dishes they love and that is a good thing. Pinterest is filled with healthy swaps for your favorite dishes. There are also plenty of recipes that adjust for food allergies and lifestyle preferences such as vegetarian as well. However, I am here to say that celebrating a holiday by participating in the feast is actually OK! Does grandma make the best lemon meringue pie ever and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving with out it? Then go right ahead and eat it (barring actual food allergies or celiac of course…). Whatever you do, don’t offend grandma! (I personally think there is a special place in hell for people who aren’t kind to grandmas but that’s a post for somewhere else…)
The thing is that we have to live with our lifestyle choice to be healthy all year long and part of a healthy lifestyle should be enjoying food, friends and family. Getting stressed out over a meal isn’t healthy. Guilt over food isn’t healthy. Offending the cook because they didn’t use organic grassfed unicorn tears to make the casserole isn’t healthy!
So take the day to be grateful for the feast, have a glass of wine (preferably dark dry red, up to 8 oz) and enjoy the day! Tomorrow we can pick up where we left off.
In the meantime though, one tip: If you have been following a healthy diet and do what I say above, you may experience a bit of upset stomach or bloating because your body isn’t used to eating that stuff anymore. 2 words: HOT TEA. Hot ginger tea is even better but warm beverages like tea can help with digestion and move things along to make you feel better. Also, pace yourself. You don’t have to eat everything at once. Try to make it last. Savor your food and your time at the table. Aim to take 20 minutes to eat your meal or longer (this is actually good advice for every day) and wait at least an hour to have dessert, 2 hours is probably better. Drink lots of fluids to flush out the extra sodium you are likely eating otherwise you may look like a balloon tomorrow!! And whatever you do, don’t get on a scale tomorrow!! Weighing yourself can wait until next week!
Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!
Liz