In just a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Thanksgiving?
Juicy turkey with all the trimmings? A much needed long weekend? Excitement about seeing friends and family? An opportunity to take time to reflect on and be grateful for the blessings in your life? All of the above?
Thanksgiving – the perfect weekend to combine nourishing our hearts with nourishing our bodies!
10 Ways to Nourish Yourself During Thanksgiving
1. Make a list of the Top 10 Blessings in your life. Expressions of gratitude can have a profound positive effect on our health, mood and productivity.
2. Share your list with someone and ask them what their top 10 blessings are. A conversation with a friend or loved one about what we are grateful for and why, magnifies the ‘feel good’ energy and benefits. Even more fun – why not engage everyone coming to Thanksgiving dinner in this activity?
3. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with gusto. Savour the flavours and aromas. Good food prepared by loving hands is one of life’s great pleasure and blessings. In fact, recent research suggests that food that we perceive has been prepared with loving intentions actually tastes better to us.
4. Savour the time, conversations and fun with family and friends also. Listen to the stories they share – attention is a powerful-esteem boosting gift we can give to others. Enjoy the laughter, smiles, and the hugs. Savour them. Let them fill your heart.
5. Practice the ‘two fists’ guideline. Our stomach is about the size of one fist. Meals and snacks should be not more than 2 fists in size. Your stomach, GI tract, liver and conscience will love you for this. (The research shows that the average Thanksgiving meal is approximately 3000 calories. And by the time the day is over, we have eaten 4500 – 6000 calories. The average adult only needs between 1500 – 2400 calories in a day.)
6. Don’t skip meals. And especially don’t skip breakfast or lunch on the day of the big Thanksgiving dinner. The blood sugar crash from not eating increases cortisol (a fat storing hormone) and almost always results in over eating at the next meal.
7. Go for a brisk walk, outside, everyday, over the Thanksgiving weekend. Brisk walking raises serotonin (happy feel good hormone) and neopheniphrine (contributes to mental clarity) and burns some of the calories from the turkey and pumpkin pie. (This is a photo taken while on my morning walk in Mill Bay)
8. Plan ahead for small indulgences. Decide that you will enjoy a small portion of the gravy and mashed potatoes, a small piece of pie with a dollop of whipped cream, or whatever is your favourite dish. Decide that you will stick to the the ‘two fists’ rule.
9. Avoid the ‘all or nothing’ thinking – “I blew it so I might as well have another helping.” There will be leftovers. You will eat again.
10. At the end of each day, make a list of the 3 things that happened in the last 24 hours for which you are most grateful.
One of the things for which I am most grateful is the opportunity to support you in your healthy lifestyle journeys. It is wonderful to receive your responses, your stories about what nourishes you, or how some of the strategies and tips I have shared have helped you. Thank you for that!
May your Thanksgiving be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, good food, good health, and gratitude for this abundant life!
Gerry
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips
Enjoy the turkey. It’s a healthy source of protein. Having protein with every meal and snack can help reduce the glycemic load of the meal.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Grapes and Rosemary
Winter squashes are a good source of vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese and fibre. Butternut squash has a glycemic index of 75 (high) but a glycemic load of 10 (medium). A portion is 1/2 cup.
You could substitute yams or sweet potatoes, both of which have a lower GI and GL.
I substitute grapeseed oil or coconut oil for the olive oil. 425°F is a little high of a temperature for olive oil.
This recipe comes courtesy of Molly Stevens, Cooking Teacher & Author of “All About Roasting”
Serves 4
1 to 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 cups of seedless red grapes (about 12 ounces)
1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced into thick wedges
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the squash, onion, and grapes and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper, and toss again. Transfer to the baking sheet, distributing everything in a single layer.
Roast, stirring with a metal spatula once or twice, until the squash is well caramelized on the outside and tender throughout, about 40 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot or warm.
Low Glycemic Pumpkin Pie
Makes 8 servings
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin (freshly cooked or canned – but not the pre-made pie filling)
1/2 cup xylitol
1/4 cup raw organic agave
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinamon
4 eggs
2 cups milk
Blend in blender or mixer till smooth. Pour into lightly greased pie pan. (I like coconut oil for this purpose.)
Baked without the crust, the glycemic load per serving is only 4. If you make this pie with a traditional crust, the glycemic load is 11.
Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 325°F for 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the filling does not stick.
Topping
8 oz. Greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla (to taste)
Add xylitol or stevia and sweeten to taste
Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon
Dressing (Stuffing)
There’s not getting around it, the turkey stuffing is bread. One cup of stuffing is equivalent to 2-3 slices of bread! Most breads are high glycemic . You can reduce the glycemic index of your stuffing by using a whole grain bread. Make sure it’s whole grain with lots of fibre.
Muffin Cups are a great way to manage portion sizes. Use them for the pumpkin pie recipe above or to bake single serving portions of turkey stuffing.
emember my ‘soul food’ resolutions from the last post? This has been such a fantastic experience.
Do any of you use greens or whole food powders to make sure you are getting your quota of greens everyday?
I’m reading a super book called 
1. With the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies available it’s incredibly easy to get our 7 – 10 daily servings. Farmer’s markets and produce aisles showcase every colour of the rainbow of delicious veggies and juicy fruits and berries! Buy local and organic whenever it’s available. Try the healthy delicious summer recipes from the Sanoviv kitchen at the end of this article.
3. Sunshine! Our Cells are Solar Powered! Vitamin D is actually a hormone, rather than a true vitamin. It is the only nutrient to be manufactured by the body in direct reaction to sunlight. Vitamin D is made in our bodies when specific wavelengths of sunlight hit the skin, converting already present vitamin D precursors into a form of the vitamin our cells can use. Fifteen to thirty minutes exposure when the sun is high in the sky is the equivalent of taking 15,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D in supplement form. Vitamin D is critically important for calcium metabolism, bone health, glucose metabolism and weight management, cardiovascular health and immune function. Research has indicated that populations that live further from the equatorial zone, have a higher incidence of immune disorders and related diseases. It’s currently estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide suffer from vitamin D deficiency. So let’s take advantage of those healthy rays. Just 10 – 15 minutes of direct sun a day is enough. If you are going to be in direct sun longer than that, make sure you wear sunscreen – sun burn in linked to cancer.
One whole organic hormone free chicken breast cut in half
Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.
Hydration is critical for cell function and detoxification. Drinking 2 litres of purified or filtered water everyday can improve your complexion, boost your immune system, improve digestion, support weight loss, and improve your concentration and energy. If you frequently feel tired in the mid afternoon, it may be dehydration. Think about how much water you have consumed that day before you grab a cuppa joe to pick you up. Drink a glass of water upon rising to rehydrate your body after sleep. Room temperature water with the juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon with a few shakes of cayenne pepper first thing in the morning is great for digestion and circulation. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially in hot weather or when exercising. Drink between meals, not with meals. Drinking with meals dilutes your digestive enzymes and stomach acid, interfering with proper digestion.
Sanoviv, derived from the Spanish words “healthy living”, provides your mind, body and spirit with a toxic-free environment to restore your health. Sanoviv is the first medical facility to be certified in Functional Medicine by the Institute of Functional Medicine, and has created a unique standard of quality, excellence and cleanliness never before seen in medical care.
Breathe deeply and often
Sanoviv, derived from the Spanish words “healthy living”, provides your mind, body and spirit with a toxic-free environment to restore your health. Sanoviv is the first medical facility to be certified in Functional Medicine by the Institute of Functional Medicine, and has created a unique standard of quality, excellence and cleanliness never before seen in medical care.