Thanksgiving: Reflecting on Freedom of Choice
For many, Thanksgiving is synonymous with “dietary overindulgence” as well. Some expect to overeat, but others try to maintain some semblance of restraint on this holiday. However, despite their best intentions to eat moderately, even conscientious types tend to consume high-calorie and high-carbohydrate appetizers and sides, turkey with plenty of gravy, and a generous slice of pie a la mode to top it off. For those newly committed to a low-carb lifestyle, it may be very difficult to resist your favorite foods. I can relate.
This will be my first Thanksgiving eating low-carb, as well as the first time I’ve eaten the turkey in about ten years. Tofurkey has served as my main entree since 2001, and I’m so glad to be rid of that rubbery, highly processed soy concoction once and for all. And while I’m definitely very happy eating low carb, I’ve got to admit that I’m going to miss the stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberries, and pumpkin pie (the rolls I could always take or leave). But as good as these foods may taste, they’re just not worth soaring blood sugar levels followed by the inevitable reactive hypoglycemia. For the person restricting carbohydrates for weight control, is eating a traditional Thanksgiving meal really a fair trade-off for the nausea, bloating, and several pounds of fluid gain that are sure to follow the next morning?
It’s my turn to host the holiday meal, and I’m going to make sure to have all of those items on my table for the rest of my family (except Tofurkey — everyone thought I was crazy for eating that year after year!) But I’m intent on having a delicious, low carb, healthy, satisfying, real food feast of my own.
So what will I be eating for dinner on Thursday, how much, and how many carbs will I end up consuming? Here’s the plan:
1. Organic turkey, dark meat, no gravy. 6 to 8 ounces; zero grams carbs
2. Mixed green salad with olive oil and red-wine vinegar. 2 cups; 5 grams carbs
3. Yams with butter and cinnamon. 1/2 cup; 15 grams carbs
4. Green beans with butter and garlic. 1 cup; 7 grams carbs
5. Berries with whipped cream. 1/2 cup berries: 5 grams carbs. 1/2 cup whipped cream: zero grams carbs
6. Bite of my husband’s pumpkin pie (no crust). About 2 grams carbs
The total for this meal is around 34 grams of carbs, which is 10-15 grams more than I usually eat, but still pretty low and definitely much less than any Thanksgiving dinner I’ve eaten in the past. Packed with fiber, moderate in protein, high in healthy fats, and rich in vitamins and minerals, this meal has a high satiety factor as well as being extremely nutritious.
So what am I personally thankful for? My family and friends, wonderful job, and home are certainly up at the top of my list. But good health is equally important, and I feel so fortunate to live in a country where nourishing foods are available year-round and we’re free to eat them in whatever quantity we desire. We are the only ones who ultimately have control over what we eat and drink, so let’s choose wisely this Thanksgiving and always in order to be as healthy as we can be. Have a wonderful holiday!
Franziska,
It’s actually possible to make a low carb dressing and give up nothing in taste.
I found it on the tudiabetes website, posted by user Gerri. The key is the almond bread which is used as a cornbread substitute. From there on you can modify this recipe to taste. My family tradition is to make sausage dressing and the almond bread works great for that. I also leave out the vanilla extract.
Also, I downloaded the podcast of you being interviewed by Jimmy Moore and enjoyed it immensely. It’s always nice to hear the voice behind the face.
Gerri’s recipe follows……
I make the almond bread a day before so it drys out some. Or, you can cut into pieces & bake it in a low oven after it’s cooked to dry it more.
Almond Bread– 16 net grams for the entire recipe because it has 17 grams of fiber.
1.5 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
(Optional for using for stuffing–1/2 tsp liquid Splenda I use Fiberfit from netrition.com–zero carbs).
Preheat oven to 325.
Put all ingredients in a blender & blend until smooth.
Pour batter into a well greased baking dish.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. It won’t brown.
Let cool before removing from pan.
Sautee a small amount of onion in butter until soft. Add whatever herbs you like–sage, parsley, thyme, chives, along with freshly ground pepper & garlic. If you like mushrooms, they’re a good addition. So are pecans. Add the crumbled almond bread & mix well. If it looks too dry for your taste, add a little chicken broth.
You may not need to chicken broth for what’s going into the turkey, but may want to add broth & salt to stuffing that’s being cooked outside the turkey.
Bad Moon T2, thanks so much for that recipe — it sounds delicious, as well as easy to prepare. I think I’ll make a smaller amount for myself and the others to try, but I’ll need to make traditional stuffing for most of my family (They’re very traditional that way). I’m excited to try Gerri’s recipe. Thanks again for sharing it and for your kind words about my appearance on Jimmy’s podcast 🙂
Great blog post. It’s challenging to eat reasonably at Thanksgiving. Not just the turkey who’s stuffed. Thanks for posting your menu. Sounds wonderful!
Feel famous having my recipe posted. You can leave out the vanilla. I add a lot of fresh & dried herbs and wild mushrooms.
I make a low carb pumpkin pie with an almond flour crust because it doesn’t feel like a holiday without it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much, Gerri! Can’t wait to try your stuffing recipe!
My goto holiday desert is low carb cheese cake with ground pecan crust. Lots of good recipes on the various low carb sites for variations on this theme.
I love cheesecake, so it’s great to have low-carb options. Thanks again, BadMoon T2!
From what I have read it sounds like you did a great job sticking to low carb!