Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving for me is one of several splurge days I give myself in a year (OK, two since I have my family’s and my in-laws’ on two different days), when anything except gluten is fair game. I never have gluten splurge days. I was all set to write this week’s post about glycation, describing in detail just how evil sugar is. But as I was typing I began to think it not only felt a bit hypocritical having just emerged from a day of world-record-breaking sugar consumption, but also seemed like that post might feel like a guilt trip for anyone who enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I did. So instead let me say, welcome to the holiday season! Eat, drink and be merry!
I’ve read so many articles over the years about how to survive the holidays without throwing your diet out with the used wrapping paper. They offer great tips: 1. Eat a large, healthy meal before going to a party. This will fill you up and prevent you from eating as much. (Since when did hunger or satiety have any effect whatsoever on how much I stuff myself at any given family gathering or party?? No, this tip was no good.) 2. Opt for water instead of alcohol or soda, or if you must have alcohol limit it to one glass. (Hellooo, it’s a party!) 3. Don’t hover around the food table, eating mindlessly. Fill a small plate with a sampling of foods, trying to focus on available fruits and vegetables, if possible, and walk away. (Come on, hovering around the food table and eating mindlessly just happens to be a sacred ritual in my family. You don’t mess with tradition!) 4. Don’t slack on your exercise schedule. (OK, this one I agree with, unless it’s on the day of said holiday or party. The workout you get running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to get everything done and ready that day is plenty as far as I’m concerned.)
While these articles are well-intentioned and offer rational advice, since when is anything about holiday festivities rational? The holidays are about living it up with your loved ones, not about being rational! So it’s no surprise that so many people fail, myself included, when the holidays arrive and we’re faced with those wonderful temptations. And then unfortunately, guilt, self hate, etc., usually result. I think beating yourself up is the worst mistake you can make. This, in my opinion, is where most diets fail. You will never succeed if you are filled with self loathing over something as silly as splurging on dessert. They also fail when you don’t have a good support system. I have been tremendously lucky to have a wonderfully supportive family, both my biological family and my in-laws, who have always been very encouraging and made an effort to provide gluten-free options.
Things got interesting, however, when in October 2017 I asked my siblings to join me in improving their health by reading Dr. Dale Bredesen’s “The End of Alzheimer’s
“[I’m] looking forward to Thanksgiving … with no sugar and gluten (30 pies, hundreds of treats, etc.),” he wrote. “I’m guessing big bowls of celery and carrots with no dip could finally put an end to the K Hover!” (Our sacred ritual mentioned above…)
My sister, Liz, said she would begin looking for recipes for a “gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, all-natural kind of dessert.” Of course, a few people had a response.
“BTW…we are allowed to have cheat days and if there are no traditional thanksgiving desserts this year, I may just cry,” my sister, Marie, wrote. Brother Pat’s response was a little more colorful. “I can bring along some packs of powdered stevia to lick off our hands for dessert! I think it meets your criteria.”
That Thanksgiving couldn’t have turned out more perfectly, even with the healthy effort. Dinner included a wide variety of very healthy and delicious dishes, including braised turkey legs (along with the regular turkey fare), roasted and seasoned carrots that were so good – and I usually hate cooked carrots, both grain-free and traditional stuffing, several types of gluten-free and regular homemade breads and many other choices. The always-packed dessert table featured a lovely variety of traditional sugar- and gluten-loaded pies and treats along with a decent selection of gluten/grain-free and “healthier” sugar alternatives. Even Liz’s sugar-, gluten- and dairy-free pumpkin bars were pretty darn good – once you got past the difficult-to-chew, card-boardy crust…
This year, the grain-free stuffing, carrots and braised turkey legs, along with all our other usual fare, are back by popular demand. Liz has yet again said she would try to bring something gluten- and sugar-free. To which my brother, Ed, quickly replied, “For the Record, if it’s gluten-free AND sugar-free, it’s NOT dessert!!!” At the end of the day, our holidays are just a lot of fun and laughs while everyone enjoys plenty of food.
So what’s my solution to surviving the holidays without wrecking your healthy lifestyle goals? Enjoy them!! Eat whatever you want; eat as much as you want. Eat slowly and savor every delicious flavor. Live in the moment and savor the splurge. No matter where you are in your lifestyle improvement journey, it’s OK to have days in which you go a little nuts – or even a lot nuts. Afterwords, don’t beat yourself up, just get right back into your normal routine. You may gain a pound or two, but if you jump back into healthy living, that pound or two will be gone a day or two later. Just like an alcohol hangover, you may have a sugar/gluten hangover, feeling tired and rundown the next day (not to mention likely digestive issues.) For me, this serves as motivation to get back into my groove. Getting out for a relaxing, slow morning jog the day after a celebration helps me to shake off that funk and resume my usual regime. And the consequences of my merry-making amount to nothing more than a happy memory, allowing me to look forward to the next time with gusto.
Still reeling from Thursday’s Thanksgiving with the in-laws, I will be heading to my family’s Thanksgiving today. I personally can’t wait for round two! I hope all of you had/are having a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving.