Healthy Thanksgiving Feast I suppose we can feast any time, but this time of year it is magical. We are deep into harvest, the fruits and veggies are fully ripened, and of course our special feast-day approaches.
When I close my eyes and evoke the idea of “feast” I think of bountiful foods of the earth, rich in flavor, lovingly prepared. Just the thought of it gives me a sense of wellbeing.
While the online dictionary defines feasting partly in terms of quantity, the definition includes “a meal that is well prepared and abundantly enjoyed,” “to experience something with gratification or delight,” and “to feed sumptuously.” Great words! Abundant! Gratifying! Delight! Sumptuous! These words are a good description of feasting here in wine country. It doesn’t have to mean overeating – gorging is something different. Feasting is thoroughly delightful, both during and afterwards.
And I have been feasting! This autumn I’ve been roasting the jewel-toned veggies from my farm box, the Farmers Market and my own garden. Earlier this week I chopped the contents of my farm box (eggplant, zucchini, tomato, celery and onion), and mixed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and red wine. Then I roasted them in a slow oven (275° convection, 300° conventional) for two hours. I actually went off to my yoga class while they cooked. Potatoes came in the box too, so I put them in whole, and by time I got home dinner was ready: Eggplant stew over fresh-from-the-earth baked potatoes. It truly felt like a feast.
Thanksgiving should be the ultimate feast, yet it is so easy to cross over into excess. Going over that edge into gorging is no longer fun, and doesn’t feel good. Here are a few things you can do to keep your Thanksgiving a delightful feast. You probably already know these things: this is a reminder.
If you get to plan the menu, you can create bounty and sumptuousness with local foods and wine. Keeping it simple can be more elegant and enjoyable. Too many different dishes get distracting. Trying to taste them all tricks us into overeating. Magazines and newspapers are full of recipes this time of year if you want to try something new. It’s nice when everyone brings a dish; sharing the work allows you to focus on your contribution without getting overwhelmed. If you do all the cooking, what can you let go of? This feast should be enjoyable for the cook as well – what would it take to make it so?
Sometimes, as in my family, the dishes are traditional and sacrosanct. There will be green beans in canned cream soup with fried onions on top and a gelatin salad. Those are easy for me to pass up. I know there will be 4 different kinds of starches, and probably that many kinds of pies. I typically skip all starches except the dressing, which I only get once a year. I can have mashed potatoes anytime, I almost never eat dinner rolls anyway, and yams make a regular appearance on my table (albeit without the sugar and marshmallows). The desserts are the hardest for me. It is so tempting to have “just a sliver” of a couple different kinds and yet I know I enjoy it more and feel better afterwards when I choose just one.
If your Thanksgiving tradition involves too-much food, think about how you want to navigate it. Eat healthy meals earlier in the day so you are starting off with well-balanced blood sugar and have already had a healthy dose of fiber, fruits and veggies. It may seem logical to skip earlier meals and save the calories, but once you get really hungry it’s hard not to overeat. Decide ahead of time just how much you want to eat and drink. How much is enough, and how much is too much.
Think about which foods are the most important to you and give yourself permission to fully enjoy them! What non-food aspects of this feast day are important to you? Consciously savor the people, the setting, and the day. It’s all nourishing.
I hope that your feasts this season are sumptuous and delightful, that you are enjoying the fabulous Sonoma County bounty and that you are finding the balance between eating and drinking well, and overindulging. May this be a time of thankfulness, joy and wellbeing! Happy Thanksgiving Feast day!
Kathy Nichols is the Healthy Habits Coach. Kathy blends her background as a registered dietitian with life coaching to help you create healthy and sustainable habits. Contact Kathy at 707 431-7524, Kathy@HealthyHabitsCoach.com or www.HealthyHabitsCoach.com. Blog: www.HealthyHabitsCoach.wordpress.com |
