Wellness Wednesday #20: My Thanksgiving… And Some Tips For You!
I was hoping to share some good, healthy Thanksgiving recipes with you a few days ago, but I got sick.
My husband and I went on a road trip to see Texas A&M play Vanderbilt in Nashville, and I started getting sick on the way. I ended up staying in the hotel with a fever while my husband and our friends went to the game. He offered to stay with me, but I didn’t want him to have to miss out, too. I watched the game on my laptop until I fell asleep. It was a rough drive home the next day, but it was still a fun trip. It’s just so nice to get out of town every once in a while!
I really wanted to write something helpful for you before Thanksgiving, but I decided to take some time for myself to rest and heal. It’s been working! I’ve never gotten over being so sick so quickly! I’m not completely recovered, but I’m doing much, much better.
Since many of you have already started cooking for tomorrow, I feel like I’m too late to share Thanksgiving recipes. So, I’m just going to share with you what I’ll be eating tomorrow (with some links to recipes!). If you’re planning on splurging tomorrow, keep reading for some tips to keep yourself from completely overdoing it and feeling like crud.
My Thanksgiving Meal
We are spending Thanksgiving in Katy, TX with family. They are outstanding cooks, so my kids are super excited to pig out on turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy and lots of homemade pie. I used to gobble up all that delicious food, too, but now I choose not to. I could eat just like everyone else, but I’d spend the rest of the day achy and tired, with my immune system going crazy and some serious systemic inflammation. I’m sure I would get a raging, throbbing headache on top of it. I wouldn’t be able to sleep because my elbows would be hurting so much. My skin would break out in a few days, and I may even see some extra hair shedding. I think it’s okay for the kids to splurge sometimes, but I have autoimmune disease, and for me it just isn’t worth it. This is why I really want the kids to eat well… because once they develop a chronic illness, like rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, diabetes, MS, Crohn’s, Lupus, Celiac, Sjogren’s, etc., they will have to be very disciplined to feel well, and occasional treats don’t fit into that. I’d rather them enjoy a healthy lifestyle with an occasional splurge and avoid the chronic diseases altogether.
Anyway, back to what I’m going to take with me tomorrow:
- Beef! I got some soup bones from the farmer’s market and used them to make stock last week. I used the stock to make soup, and the delicious meat around the bones is going to be gobbled up on Thanksgiving. I’m going to mix it with a little Coconut Aminos (it’s kinda similar to soy sauce) and some sea salt and pepper. I’ve never been a big fan of turkey, and I’m not going to cook a whole turkey for myself. I can’t eat the turkey that our family makes because they flavor it with spices I can’t have, like paprika.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes (I’m not going to use nearly that much maple syrup, and I added some cinnamon and ginger.)
- Deviled Eggs made with homemade mayo
- Salad: Baby spinach with carrots and cucumbers and “Caesar” dressing
- AIP Cornbread Muffins (unless I run out of time and energy today)
- Dessert! I’m going to make these pumpkin pie bites today. Last year I made N’Oatmeal Creme Pies. I liked them, although I couldn’t eat more than a couple of them.
- We’ll be there all day, so I’ll take some snacks with me too, like veggie sticks, coconut chips, and some extra deviled eggs.
- Wine – I will splurge on a little of their red wine. 🙂
Thankfully my family is understanding that I need to bring my own food, and they aren’t offended when I don’t eat theirs. They even allow me a little stove top space for reheating!
If any of you are looking for more holiday recipes that follow the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), check out this AIP Holiday guide.
Some Tips for Your Thanksgiving
While you can have a great Thanksgiving without going crazy and stuffing yourself, here are some tips if you decide to splurge:
- Chew your food! Slow down and chew each bite 20 times. Digestion begins in your mouth. Check out this old post for some other ways to improve digestion.
- Drink plenty of water! It’s easy to follow each glass of wine with another glass of wine, or each bottle of beer with another bottle of beer. Don’t forget to hydrate with some pure water in between! That sweet tea that you love is dehydrating, so drink some extra water!
- Use a small plate if there’s one available, or if you have to use a big one, don’t fill it up! You know you’re going to get seconds anyway, so get less each time. Hopefully you won’t eat quite as much and you won’t feel quite as stuffed.
- Play some football with the family or go for a walk! Get moving!
- Get more meat and veggies and less stuffing, rolls, corn, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes. I know potatoes are veggies, but they’re starches and it’s easy to eat too many. They can really affect your blood sugar.
- If you’re going to eat pie, skip the rolls.
- Make a pact with someone in the family to eat only one piece of dessert, and hold each other to it.
Be well and have a happy Thanksgiving!!!