Am I the only one who sometimes has put health goals on hold for ‘the holidays’? and even started the holidays before Halloween, buying more ‘healthy’ candy than needed for ‘the kids’? Anyone ever justify just how difficult it can be to stay on track with holiday parties at work, family members visiting, eating out with friends, extra sweet desserts?
For many of us, this is all too common. But when the holidays take up 2+ months of the year, and the average person gains 5-8 pounds during those two months, there has to be a better way.
Let’s Talk Turkey
If you had a goal, in this case, good health, why would you spend 2 months losing ground before you even got started? Many eat 2-3x their average calorie intake on Thanksgiving Day (4500-5500 calories) and not health-promoting foods. Even those ready to jump in and start making healthy choices today hesitate because Thanksgiving is about family and love and comfort food. But what if eating a low-fat whole food plant-based Thanksgiving meal could show the love of yourself and your family, all while still enjoying delicious comfort food? The only things you would be missing are lethargy, regret, and excess calories and fat. Sound good?
There are lots of ways to introduce more plant-based foods into your diet. I went ‘cold turkey‘ 1 day after reading the China Study with no preparation and no support. Honestly, I confess, in the beginning, it was easier to know what not to eat. It took me longer to fully understand what and how to prepare and order food that was both tasty and health-promoting (which is why I decided to teach and coach others). My family watched from the sidelines, tried some of my main dishes as their side dishes, and, as I got to be a better plant-based cook and they saw their own health improve, many joined in eating this way and celebrating the holidays with delicious plant-based food.
Even though you will see better results going all in with a lifestyle change right from the start, if you are not yet ready but also don’t want to fall behind, you can also at least start just by making some better choices and not lose ground as you prepare for the healthy year to come. Or if you are all in, but want to lighten the load for others at the table without missing out on the flavors you all love, Thanksgiving with a table full of choices is a great time to start. You can tell them after a satisfying and delicious meal, and they raved about the potatoes or the creamed spinach or the gravy, that they were all plant-based.
No Harm. No Fowl.
There are many wonderful plant-based cookbooks, blogs and articles all about specific recipes to try for Thanksgiving, too many to list here, but I invite you to search online for Plant-Based Low Fat Thanksgiving recipes. Make sure to leave out the oil and go very light/avoid nuts. I always try something new every year, and even though it is the holidays, I try to keep the recipes mostly low in fat found on websites such as those from Dr. John and Mary McDougall, Susan Voisin, and Lindsay Nixon. So many of my favorite recipes have evolved from humble beginnings and taste delicious. Start with what you know and make simple adjustments. I have included a few simple strategies to use with your favorite recipes and a few new favorite recipe ideas to inspire you.
More importantly, let me share some strategies that I share with my students and clients to make it through the holidays eating plant-based without any special recipes – you’ve got this!
- Start with side dishes. Many plant-based can start with the dishes you are used to making: Make mashed potatoes but add some potato water and a splash of plant-based milk to thicken. Steam sweet potatoes, mash and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast veggies or Brussels sprouts with Dijon mustard and maple syrup on parchment paper. Steam greens and drizzle with flavored vinegar. Omit the butter, dairy, and oil and season with fresh herbs and spices.
- Make oil-free dressings and dairy-free sauces. Make a simple 3-2-1 dressing with 3T balsamic vinegar, 2T mustard, and 1T maple syrup for a tangy topping for steamed veggies, salad, or baked potatoes. Or blend some citrus and some vinegar for a bright marinade. Even a simple balsamic on its own can offer you a powerful flavor. Not too late to get some vinegar from the Olive Tap or Bema and Pas or at your local market. Make creamy sauces using beans our cauliflower to lessen the fat (avoid too many cashews or even walnut-rich recipes often found in vegan cookbooks).
- Stuffing options are endless. Rather than trying to replace entire sticks of butter and several eggs in the original family recipe with vegan versions that are equally high in fat and calories, lighten up. Simply combine dried whole grain bread with sauteed veggies (in broth, not oil), seasoned with traditional poultry spices and fresh herbs. Moisten with low sodium veggie broth as a great place to start. And don’t forget the gravy. This mushroom gravy is still one of my favorites.
- For those who want a vegan stuffed turkey experience, the options are so much better than the first Tofurky we tried over 10 years ago. Many stores including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s offer turkey rolls made by Gardein and the like. Great if you are starting out, don’t yet know how to prepare Seitan or want to satisfy someone expecting a more traditional meal. These are more highly processed foods often high in fat so not for every day.
- Celebrate the holiday with the freedom of making any plant-based entree you want with love, especially in the knowledge you are helping yourself, those you love, the planet, and of course the turkey. I have made entrees ranging from stuffed acorn squash to Chana Masala, from Chickpea Tart to No-fu loaf, from Raise the Roof Lasagna to Vegetable pot pie, from Shepherd’s pie to Zucchini crab cakes.
- Prepared meals are a lifesaver during the holidays. I always keep some prepared meals for that no-time-to-cook situation during the holidays. Two great sources of whole food plant-based no oil prepared meals are PlantPure Nation and Mama Sezz (shipped fresh but can be frozen). It is great to not have any excuse to each a clean delicious meal during the business holiday season.
Holiday Traditions
For many, the turkey is the centerpiece of their family holiday tradition. The only turkey involved in our celebration is in name only as some members of our family participate in a local Turkey Trot 5K to raise money for local non-profits on Thanksgiving Day. And lest anyone think that people are not grateful for delicious vegan food for the holidays, another family tradition has been to volunteer for the largest Vegan Food Share in the country and help feed over 3,000 on Long Island the Sunday before Thanksgiving sharing free vegan staples, fresh produce and hot plant-based meals.
A Little Class
I recently taught my first every holiday class – Let’s NOT talk Turkey for the Holidays which included so many great recipes and strategies. That might just need to become one of my new holiday traditions! When all the holidays are behind us and you have seen how good healthy food makes you feed, local Long Island friends can sign up for my next class series, Kickstart Your Health, starting in January. This 5 week program will help you get a fast start to a new year and a new you. Till then, Happy Turkey Day, with turkeys happy to not be on your table but instead free to just be like the rest of us. Check back often to this website for my latest group class schedule any time of year or get a head start by contacting me to learn about my 1:1 Eat to Heal program and start today.
