While most people view
Thanksgiving as the most notorious meal of the year for over-indulgence and
gluttonous calorie consumption, I propose that Thanksgiving may just be the
most healthful meal of the year. Wow – did a dietitian imply that we enjoy
Thanksgiving guilt-free? You bet. Here’s how:
1.
Think beyond the
main meal. November is National Diabetes
Awareness month and Thanksgiving can be a tricky time for any of the 29 million
Americans with diabetes. Plan healthful
snacks such as pumpkin pie popcorn mix.
California raisins are all natural, no sugar added, dried by the sun
fruit with one ingredient: raisins. And
a 12-week study of individuals with type 2 diabetes showed that regular
consumption of raisins instead of snack crackers positively impacted post-meal
glucose levels and systolic blood pressure. So to keep blood sugar under
control, it’s important to keep the carbohydrate intake consistent throughout
the day.
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2.
Think about the menu. First of all, it is a refreshing change to
have a meal that is driven by culture and tradition instead of marketing. Food is not just about a calculated sum total
of calories and nutrients, but also about tradition, culture and identity. So embrace your unique or typically American
traditions when it comes to this yearly feast.
3.
Veggies and
fruits usually play large supporting role.
Turkey may take center stage for this meal, but when you tally up all
the seasonal veggie and fruit side-dishes, they often outweigh the bird when it
comes to plate space. Healthful recipes
of potatoes, yams, beans, corn, cranberries, fruit salads etc. are an excellent
way to up the produce in your diet. This
may be the one time during the year that Americans easily meet or exceed the
proposed daily 9 servings of fruits and vegetables.
4.
It’s
homemade. Typically, the Thanksgiving
meal is prepared at home. How many other
meals can claim that ideal title during the year? With the daily grind and the hectic pace of
today’s society, so many meals come in Styrofoam, plastic, or microwaveable
cardboard. There’s a huge nutritional
disparity between processed and prepared at home.
5.
It’s enjoyed with
family. We eat lots of meals with many
loved ones throughout the year, but in reality, how many meals do we really
enjoy? We may be squeezing dinner in
between music lessons and soccer practice, inhaling it in the car on our way to
some event or other, or zoning out with the TV at mealtime. Thanksgiving is a long, lingering meal that
we savor, and enjoy while renewing relationships with those most important to
us. This is a vital and often overlooked
role of food.
The rest of our mealtimes
during the year could stand to take a lesson from this yearly feast. So with the culture, tradition,
produce-packed, homemade, enjoyable meal – I say thank heavens for
Thanksgiving!
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