What A Nutritionist Eats For Thanksgiving

If you know me, you know that I am a healthy eater.  Everyone I have worked with has witnessed my uber-healthy lunches. People who visit my home, and see my pantry and refrigerator, have expressed awe over my nut butters, multi-colored seeds, strange-looking vegetables, and collection of organic foods.

Many people assume that I only eat nuts, seeds, and vegetables because I am “the healthiest eater they know,” and they probably imagine that I bring pre-packed lunches to Thanksgiving. However, that is not the case.

Today, I will give you a behind-the-scenes pass to how I approach my Thanksgiving and other holiday meals. As you face your next party or holiday meal, I hope you will use some of my strategies to feel healthy, balanced, and happy about eating your next holiday meal!

Plan Your Non-Negotiables

First and foremost, the things I “DO NOT” eat help set the tone for my entire Thanksgiving meal.  As someone with a gluten sensitivity, I cannot and DO NOT eat dishes made with gluten.  For me, this means that I pass on rolls, crackers, certain casseroles, and many desserts served at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner.  By being clear on what I “DO NOT” eat, I save myself from ingesting thousands of calories and focus on eating foods that I enjoy and align with my non-negotiables.

You may not have a gluten sensitivity, like I do, but likely you can come up with some standards to help narrow your food choices at Thanksgiving. If you are diabetic, then you probably need to avoid dishes made with sugar, such as non-diabetic friendly desserts. If you happen to be vegetarian, you will need to avoid dishes made with meat. Even if you do not have dietary restrictions, you can decide that you “DO NOT” eat certain foods.

For example, you can decide that you will indulge in “real” food, but not in dishes that seem refined, fake, or low-quality. Perhaps Aunt what’s-her-name always brings over those cookies with the incredibly thick layer of fake, food-colored frosting, perhaps your Uncle what’s-his-face tries to pass his microwave mashed potatoes off as homemade.  

By choosing not to eat everything on the buffet line and saving your calories for the dishes that will give you the most enjoyment and align best with your desire for a healthy life, you lay a strong foundation for a healthier, more enjoyable holiday meal.

Focusing on lean meats and vegetables at a holiday meal, can help you feel full, satisfied, and in control of your appetite.

Focus on Proteins and Vegetables

One thing that I love about holiday meals is that there are usually several protein and vegetable options that I can fill my plate with.  In fact, this is how I approach buffet lines and potlucks.  I focus on eating meats and vegetables, because they affect my metabolism in a way that leaves me feeling balanced and in control of my appetite without the negative energy, mood changes, and food-hangovers that come with eating foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as breads and desserts.

I chuckle a little as I remember a time when a well-intentioned, but uneducated family member exclaimed at my plate that was piled high with about seven or eight servings of vegetable and a couple of sliced meats.  She pretty much accused me of overeating.  In all honesty, her plate looked less full, but it was filled with refined, and low-quality carbohydrates and contained many more empty calories than mine.

Volume does not always equal calories, so load up on lean turkey, sauteed green beans, sweet potatoes, and salad… and don’t let anyone shame you for having too many vegetables! 

Bring a sweet treat filled with better-for-you-ingredients to help you eat less bad-for-you treats.

Bring Your Own Treats

As a healthy eater who eats decadent, indulgent food most days, I make sure to bring some of my most satisfying, delicious dishes to gatherings involving food so that I have options that satisfy my “treat-” tooth without compromising my food standards. 

My stuffing recipe differs from a traditional stuffing recipe, my signature pie uses whole, better-for-you ingredients.  I make recipes that use less sugar, more vegetables, and whole, pure, gluten-free, and mostly organic ingredients.

Maybe you are not accustomed to cooking this way, but can you experiment with some new recipes this holiday?  I promise you that foods do not need to be made with an entire block of butter, dusted with powdered sugar, or made with white flour to taste good!  It is a myth that healthy food does not taste as good.

Make Room for Indulgence

Now you know that one part of my Thanksgiving eating strategy involves bringing my own, better-for-me, indulgent treats to the party.  However, I will not be so inflexible with myself or such a food snob that I won’t indulge in some other dishes made by other guests at the party. 

Maybe I’ll indulge in a casserole that doesn’t seem overly healthy but looks and smells deliciously homemade.  If there is any ice-cream going around, maybe I’ll have a little.  If the food does not violate my non-negotiables, I give a few indulgent foods room on my plate, in small portions.  I suggest you do so too, so that you don’t feel deprived and grumpy on Thanksgiving.

Eating healthfully leading up to Thanksgiving can help you have more self-control, and help you choose to eat more moderately when facing so many options, at the dining table.

Start on the Right Foot

You better believe that the week leading up to Thanksgiving I will eat extra clean and healthy.  In general, I live my life by the three cheats a week philosophy.  Three times a week, I indulge in something that I would not want to make a part of my daily diet-- any more than that, and I feel icky, and not very healthy.  I might have some dessert one day, order a burger and fries at a restaurant another day, and eat [some of a] frozen pizza at home on my last cheat day.  The week leading up to Thanksgiving, I make sure to include a few indulgences, in my Thanksgiving meal, as one of my cheats.

As a bonus, eating with this kind of structure and discipline allows me to face the Thanksgiving meal more calmly and centered about my diet.  My body isn’t pumped with sugar, cheap oils, and refined grains, so my biology reacts more favorably when it comes to facing cravings at the holiday dinner table. You can read more about how eating refined foods trigger cortisol and other hormone in last week’s blog post.

Good luck at your next party or holiday gathering !  I hope that my methods for eating healthfully balanced on Thanksgiving help you feel more in control of and happy with your food relationship.  Feel free to contact me, and tell me how it goes!

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