I didn't really stress about my Thanksgiving food plate, because while I like turkey, I much prefer the accoutrements of the meal rather than the main dish. Our menu is listed below.
turkey and gravy
dressing
mashed potatoes
sweet potato casserole
corn
fresh broccoli
fresh asparagus
whole wheat rolls
cranberry relish
wine
apple pie (I only ate this dessert)
low fat cheese cake w/ fresh strawberries
pumpkin pie with maple walnut topping
I ate everything except the turkey, and I made sure to eat slowly so as to really enjoy the flavors of my food and so as not to eat too much. I also tried to eat most of my veggies first so that I was fuller and had less room for the other food items. And, while I didn't eat the bird (yay me for sticking to my vegetarian guns), I didn't stick to my "normal" dietary standards of virtually no white sugar or white flour. My meal was delicious, indeed, but I paid for my white sugar and white flour indulgences afterwards by having heartburn for the first time since going free of meat ,white flour, white sugar, and processed foods. This meal was also much heavier and dense than what I'm used to eating, and I'm sure that played into the heartburn as well. Still, even with the heart burn, it was totally worth it to me to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal...worth it to me because it was only two days (leftovers too, don't ya know). Amazingly enough, I also gained no weight from my holiday jaunt off the healthy eating reservation. Yay! I'm back to my normal healthy lifestyle eating now, though I am going pretty light this week: soups, smoothies, and salads because I still feel really full. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day like I did.
