Thanksgiving tips and simple recipe modifications for a healthy holiday!

The holidays can be a time of year filled with joyous gatherings and memories with family and friends.

Yet for some it is a time where people pack on a few pounds and keep the extra weight on permanently. It is also a time where people that struggle with food sensitivities find it stressful to gather for holiday meals.
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Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a time where your wellness plans or maintenance efforts are sabotaged.  With a few tips, you can still enjoy your Thanksgiving favorites - guilt free.  

Holidays typically center around heavy calorie laden dishes, excess alcohol and tempting desserts which can put everyone into a post meal food coma.  Meals tend to be sugar laden, gluten-loaded and dairy disasters. 

But there are simple modifications that you can make to traditional recipes so that you can enjoy the holidays with energy and zest while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  

Healthy/Lighter/Alternative Options to Traditional Recipes:
​Whether you are hosting your Thanksgiving gathering or providing a pot luck dish to share,  here are some tips to prepare a few of the traditional dishes with less fat, sugar and calories, but still packing all of the flavor!

 All of the traditional Thanksgiving favorites can still be prepared (i.e., stuffing, gravy, turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc.) using more fresh and less artificial ingredients. For example:

• Veggies can be steamed or roasted with Omega 3 olive oil rather than laden with butter and cheesy sauces. 
• Gravy can be made with chicken broth rather than turkey fat.
• Use plain nonfat yogurt for the topping on your mashed potatoes.  For a dairy free option, skip the yogurt and season with garlic, olive oil and chicken broth. 
• For a lower glycemic option, mash sweet potatoes and season; skip the sugar and marshmallow topping.
• If sweetening is desired, use natural sugar substitutes like honey, pure maple sugar or coconut sugar in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of oil in baked goods.
• For dairy free options in any of your recipes, try the nut milks.  A robust substitute for half and half in recipes is canned coconut milk.
• Add fresh herbs, lemon, lime, etc., to your recipes for lighter, fresher flavor
• Check out the recipes below for gluten free, dairy free options for guests or for you that have food intolerances or who just prefer to make healthier food choices

Offer gluten free options at your Thanksgiving table
Many people are choosing a gluten free lifestyle due to the negative effects it has on the body.  While most people do not have celiac disease (an estimated 1 in 133 Americans, or about 1% of the population) estimates suggest that one in 10 adults might have some form of gluten intolerance or non celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). 

Stuffing is a Thanksgiving staple. There are a lot of really fresh and delicious gluten-free alternatives that may become the new norm in your home.  This year, step out of your box and try something new.  Following are five fun and interesting options for stuffing to try below:

5 Gluten Free Alternatives to Stuffing

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
This colorful and flavor-packed salad is a great make ahead dish, especially if you are traveling to someone else's home for the holidays.

Use sweet potatoes instead of the squash or add greens like spinach or arugula for added color.  Quinoa and pumpkin seeds provides a nutty flavor while the cranberries adds a sweet tone. 

A guaranteed hit!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Clean Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole Recipes
Following are two recipe alternatives for the traditional green bean casserole dish that graces our holiday feasts. 

The Clean Green Bean Casserole features fresh green beans and caramelized onions and skips the heavy wheat based, calorie laden cream-based soup. The caramelized onion topping delivers a buttery onion flavor that without the deep-fried grease and flour.

The Vegan Green Bean Casserole recipe features a a nut based topping for an added crunch. ​

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Why not try something new this year.  Skip the high glycemic, calorie laden butter and cream cheese mashed potato dish and opt for mashed sweet potatoes instead - not the roasted sweet potatoes soaked with syrup, marshmallows and candied yams. 

Why the sweet potato?  One tuber packs 438% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A as well as vitamins B6, C and D. This deep rich orange color indicates it is high in carotenoids which helps to ward off cancer and protects the skin against aging. The sweet potato has more potassium than a banana and is a good source of magnesium and iron.

Sweet potatoes are not only sweet-tasting but their natural sugars release slowly into the bloodstream helping to prevent blood sugar spikes and ensuring a balanced source of energy.  Blood sugar spikes are linked to fatigue and weight gain.

Try this simple Sweet Mashed Potato recipe and add low calorie sweetness and comfort to your family tradition without the sugar spikes!

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce
​Here is a yummy and fresh cranberry sauce recipe for a traditional compliment to your holiday table.

Canned cranberries contain a ton of sugar (natural and otherwise). This recipe uses honey because it contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals (helping to fight off allergies if you’re using local), and it contains a ton of antioxidants.

Try this easy, fresh, make ahead cranberry sauce for your holiday feast. Your family will love the taste as well as reap all the benefits!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
​Thanksgiving wouldn't taste the same without pumpkin pie.

This recipe gives you a gluten-free pumpkin pie from crust to filling as well as a dairy free option that tastes just as good as the classic — and maybe even a little better.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

Enjoy the moment - cultivate a state of gratitude
​Holidays can increase stress and drive chaos with all of the planning and time tables to get everything accomplished. 
Taking periodic moments to pause, just breathe and reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives allows us to connect to those things that make us feel glad to be alive.  The holiday meal tends to be the focal point, yet gathering with our loved ones and expressing gratitude for all of our blessings is the true meaning of the holiday.  So take the time to pause.

Finding little ways to incorporate daily gratitude in your life increases your overall sense of happiness and provides a ripple effect.  

Susan Finn, PhD, RD, chair of the American Council on Fitness and Nutrition, suggests making “fitness a family adventure”. Get a brisk walk in during the day or plan a family activity to burn off the extra calories and increase your time together.

Most importantly, be easy on yourself and let the stress go.  There is always time for getting back on your regular plan.  Enjoy your time with family and friends and focus on your blessings. While I think everyday is an opportunity to be thankful for blessings, Thanksgiving is an extra special reminder to share gratitude with loved ones.

Enjoy the moment, be grateful for health, abundance, laughter,  safety and shelter of a comfortable home, a job that pays the bills each month, loving families and friends - and most importantly be grateful for every Brand New Day!

Blessings to you - Happy Thanksgiving!  

Sources:
https://draxe.com/gluten-intolerance-symptoms/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/10-tips-for-a-thinner-thanksgiving#1
​http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html

If you would like more suggestions on incorporating healthy lifestyle changes and personalized wellness goals tailored to your specific needs, CONTACT ME for a FREE health consultation.  It costs nothing and the results will change your life!  Sessions can be done in-person or virtually.

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