How to Make Your Thanksgiving a Little Healthier

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? It's the time of year that we get to celebrate food, as well as spend time with friends and family being thankful for all the many gifts that we have been given. To many people, Thanksgiving can also be a downward spiral into unhealthy eating that will carry on throughout the holiday season. I thought I would share some of my healthy Thanksgiving tips to hopefully make your Thanksgiving a time to celebrate and respect the food that you put in your body.


Remember, food doesn't define the holiday

After becoming vegetarian, and committing myself to eating a healthy/clean diet, it was difficult for me to let go of the typical "food traditions" and the general thought that certain foods define a holiday or special occasion/event. Even though Thanksgiving has a lot to do with food, it also has a lot to do with being with family and being thankful. Don't go into Thanksgiving with the mindset that food is the only thing that matters, and that if you don't eat this, or that it won't be Thanksgiving.

If you don't like it, don't eat it

There is usually so much food at a Thanksgiving lunch, or dinner that people tend to eat things only because it's there, and not because they actually enjoy it. Be conscious of what you're putting on your plate, choose foods that you actually enjoy eating rather than foods that are "traditional Thanksgiving foods" that you may only eat because you feel you should.


Eat your vegetables!

Load up your plate with vegetables (try to fill at least half your plate with vegetables), and eat those first! This way you leave only a little space on your plate, and in your stomach for the less nutritious food. Vegetables will provide you with fiber, and help to fill your stomach with good things, and cause you to not be as hungry for the less nutritious food.

Stick with unprocessed foods

Foods that come out of a can, or box are foods that are highly processed, filled with preservatives and have lost a lot of their nutrients. Instead of canned green beans, stick with fresh. Or instead of mashed potatoes from a box (which shouldn't even exist), make potatoes fresh.


Don't overcook your vegetables!

This is fairly common mistake that can happen very easily. The vegetables often get steamed too long, roasted until almost burnt, or reheated so many times they turn into rubber. Not only does overcook vegetables not taste as good, but they lose a lot of their nutrients the longer they are cooked. To avoid overcooking your veggies, save cooking them for last, and try to stop the cooking process as soon as possible!


Revamp your mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are super healthy, but can often get unhealthy by adding butter, salt, milk, or cream. Stick to just pure potatoes, or throw in some extra nutrients add in cauliflower! Just steam or boil half potatoes half cauliflower, and mash! Also, if you feel it's missing out on flavor, roast or mash up some garlic to give it a burst of flavor!



Know where to spend your money

Although, I don't eat meat I know that this is the time of year when meat (turkey in particular) is essential to some people. If you just can't do without the turkey, at least splurge on this part of the meal. Get a turkey that is free of hormones (organic), and raised locally if you choose to eat meat.



Respect the sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods, so when people make a sweet potato casserole and pile on the marshmallows, and sugar it makes me really sad. Sweet potatoes are sweet enough on their own, so avoid all the extras and don't downgrade their nutrient potential. Instead of a sugar-filled topping on a casserole, use just a combination of raw chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds), a little applesauce, and a little flour to create a yummy crumble. Or even top it with a homemade granola!



Put down that salt shaker

Excess salt can lead to water retention, increased pressure in your body, inflammation, and many more health problems so put down the salt shaker, and use other spices and herbs to flavor your dishes. Using pepper, fresh herbs, garlic, or onion you can still flavor your dishes, but avoid excess salt.


Don't drink water

You're probably really confused as to why not drinking water would be a good thing, but in fact drinking water WITH a meal isn't good for our digestion. Help out your digestive system by not drinking anything during your meal, this will allow your body's natural enzymes and acids to break food down more easily. Water or other beverages can often dilute the necessary chemistry needed to digest food properly, so drink water thirty minutes before, and wait thirty minutes after enjoying your meal to hydrate yourself.

Rethink your dessert

Desserts can often be the demise of all positive efforts to eat a healthy Thanksgiving meal. Desserts typically provide no nutritional benefits, so there is no need to eat them. Hopefully after eating a filling lunch or dinner there will be no need for dessert. If you are craving something sweet, go for fruit (raw or dry), and try to bake with whole grains. So if you're preparing desserts for Thanksgiving find recipes that use beneficial ingredients (nuts,coconut, dates, pumpkin, and applesauce) rather than not-so-beneficial ingredients (butter, milk, refined sugar, refined grains). And again, using moderation when it comes to dessert is key.


Don't even think about using canned cranberry sauce!

There is nothing more sketchy than cranberry sauce from a can. It looks, feels, and tastes weird as well as it being filled with preservatives, refined sugars, food dyes, and highly processed ingredients. Make your own cranberry sauce with just a few simple ingredients: fresh (or frozen) cranberries, orange juice, and ginger! That's it, just three simple ingredients simmered in a pot for only ten to fifteen minutes. Not only does it taste delicious, but it's filled with anti-oxidants, vitamins, and nutrients from the fresh, natural ingredients.



Don't disrespect the food, treat it properly so it can help you (not hurt you)

Food should be appreciated, and respected especially during a holiday that celebrates food. Let food help and benefit you, rather than harm you. Cook your food with love and respect, by doing this it will provide you with the health benefits that nature meant for it to provide you with.

My Tips for Transitioning to Going Meatless

Like I said in a previous post, vegetarianism isn't for everyone. But if you are trying to cut back on meat, or wanting to eventually become a full vegetarian, here are some of my top tips.

1. Take it slow

Some people have a difficult time going cold-turkey (no pun intended) with giving up meat, so I definitely suggest taking it very slowly. If you are really determined to cut out meat, then go for it. But if you're not too committed quite yet, take it slow. For example, try giving up red-meat at first. I actually did this about two months before I decided to give up all meat, and I think it helped a lot with my transition. If you can handle this, then transition into giving up chicken, or turkey. Take it one meat at a time until you've completely eliminated all meats. 

2. Meatless Monday

Pick one day of the week to go completely meatless. This is actually a world-wide campaign that is trying to encourage people to go meatless on every Monday. My university is also encouraging this way of eating by providing more meat alternatives in dining halls on Monday. This is great way to try new foods, or just experience a day without meat. Also, it you've got one day down, switch to two days, then three....

 


3. Pick a meat alternative

When I first became interested in becoming vegetarian, I was determined to try tofu. Once I tried it, and found all different recipes that used tofu instead of meat, I knew becoming vegetarian wasn't going to be all that difficult. I highly suggest trying different meat alternatives, or different protein sources that you can add into your diet. This can be before or after becoming meatless, but just trying different alternatives can be a great motivation to your journey. I don't really encourage a lot of cheap versions of "fake meat" just because of all the chemicals and preservatives in them, but definitely check out products that have few ingredients, organic, or have vegetable based proteins. The best meat alternatives I recommend are things like tofu, beans, edamame, nuts, eggs, yogurt, and mushrooms.

(this was from the very first time I made tofu!)

4. Eat vegetarian at restaurants

Eating vegetarian at restaurants can be a great way to cut back on meat, and also avoid the possibility of getting food poisoning (because restaurants is where it happens). By going meatless at restaurants, you can avoid cheaply, inhumanely produced meats. Also, eating meatless can often be much cheaper. Ask about vegetarian options, or look at the menu before hand to find options that are meatless. There are so many delicious meat free options at restaurants, so check them out! Most of the time, the meals with meat are usually higher in fat, calories, and sodium, so you'll almost always be doing yourself a favor by choosing meatless options at restaurants. Order beans instead of beef at your favorite Mexican restaurant, or order a salad with nuts and eggs instead of meat. Small steps like this is a great start to your vegetarian journey.

 
                        (vegetarian at Panera)


(vegetarian at Jimmy Johns)


5. Do your research

Becoming vegetarian can be dangerous if you're completely clueless about certain nutritional information. There are some vitamins/nutrients that you can't get from meat, and replacing those nutrients with plant based nutrients is important. Find out the best meat alternatives, or high protein vegetables, or even recipes/restaurants that are vegetarian. Become best friends with google! Before going vegetarian, I became best friends with google, making sure that I wasn't missing out on any nutrients. I even got my blood checked to make sure that all my levels were good (which they were!). Nutrients like iron, B12, selenium, and zinc are sometimes hard to get enough of on a vegetarian diet, but just find out foods that are rich in these and eat up!

6. Get connected

It is super important to find people that share similar ideas and diets. Find other vegetarians that can help you with your transition, or your journey to becoming vegetarian. Being vegetarian is definitely becoming more "popular" so it's pretty easy to find other veg heads. I know that every time I meet a vegetarian, there is always so much to talk about, because of our similar diets and struggles. Also, it's great to share advice, and tips with each other. Even if you're not wanting to go completely meatless, its' still great to have someone that is a vegetarian to help you with that as well. Most vegetarians would be happy to talk to anyone with questions about this lifestyle, or at least I know I would talk for hours about it if I could!


So those are my top six tips to transitioning to becoming meatless. I hope you find it helpful, and also motivational! Becoming meatless is something that you have to really want to do, but taking small steps into this way of eating definitely makes it a lot easier.

Also, any questions/support you may have or need just let me know either in the comments below, through Facebook, or email (simplyknitted00@gmail.com). I'll be happy to answer as many as I can!