Thanksgiving is different than any other holiday that we celebrate. While most of our holidays tend to be connected to some kind of religious celebration or a national event, Thanksgiving is simply a day that America takes off to eat. I mean…we could dive into the fact that Thanksgiving is supposed to resemble a peace offering of sharing land from the native Americans we stole it from, but we all know that the history is a lot more complicated and sinister than that. So I would say now, Thanksgiving resembles a day we celebrate gathering with friends and family, roasting a bird, eating a pie, and reflect on all the things we are grateful for.
But you know what I’m not grateful for? People online telling me to make my Thanksgiving meal healthy.
With a holiday that is so focused on food, of course there’s going to be anxiety massaged into it. When a big meal is presented in front of us, we take pause and think “I shouldn’t be eating all of this.” It’s been engrained into our very being that eating good food is “bad” for us, and indulging on a big meal will set us back to ground zero and the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting starts all over again. So when we put together our plates for Thanksgiving, we either think “I’ll enjoy myself and start back up on Monday” or “I’m going to be good and not eat as much today.”
Both insights are taking you away from the whole point of Thanksgiving in the first place: to enjoy a delicious meal with the community around you.
Let’s start with the first sentiment. Telling ourselves that we’re going to start back up on Monday puts us in this mindset known as Last Supper Syndrome. When you tell yourself that you are going to start a diet back up on a particular day (usually Mondays, because for some reason we love torturing ourselves on a Monday), our body starts preparing for a famine, aka a period of restriction. So before that, you feast, eating everything and anything in sight. Because this may be the “last time” that you’ll ever get to experience something like this again.
Sound familiar?
Then, there’s the second sentiment, the idea that you need to “be good” and not enjoy the food you want to. Not only is this a type of disordered eating that is forcing you to restrict yourself, but it can mess with your mental health. In my podcast interview this week with Wan Na Chun, RD, she mentioned how this type of approach to your food will end up becoming distracting and take away from the experience you are having. If you’re not enjoying a serving of green bean casserole or one of the buttery dinner rolls, you may find your sense heightened as you pay particular attention to these foods on other people’s plates, and your brain will have a hard time focusing on what you really want to be, which is the community and your thankfulness. Plus, on a more severe scale, people who continually restrict their eating will actually result in altered brain chemistry and have increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.
So if neither of these sentiments work, and they aren’t good for our health, than what is?
It may sound strange but…just eat the meal.
All of it. Add the serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. Snack on the lovely charcuterie plate your cousin put together. Dollop your pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream.
Because here’s the truth: One big meal won’t make or break your health.
I love how Wan Na put it this week: “I would encourage people to think about the amount time and effort it takes to actually allow your body to see results. Having one big meal one day out of the year is not going to really do anything in terms of the whatever fitness/health goals that you have…The amount of time it has taken to [take care of your health] is not going to be automatically replaced with eating a big meal for Thanksgiving.”
Think of it this way: How long does it take you to see results in terms of your health? Taking care of your health on the long term doesn’t mean you’re going to see immediate results—it means taking your time and focusing on taking care of your body for a long time to come. We’re giving so much power to one simple meal, thinking it will erase all the work we’ve done to take care of health. But in reality, that one simple meal won’t make a difference at all.
“It’s such a shame on a day like Thanksgiving when you’re bringing people together [that] those thoughts can creep in,” says Wan Na. Then she asked me, which I absolutely loved: What are you going to remember 50 years from now? The way you had a “healthy” Thanksgiving? Or the fun and the memories that you had on Thanksgiving?
No, I’m not saying that eating a big meal or being unhealthy is fun, while being healthy isn’t. But I do think there’s something to say about regret, and how living a life of balance means enjoying yourself every now and then completely free of restriction. Because in reality, that single plate of food won’t make or break your health.
It’s the week of Thanksgiving, so of course, I have to share my all-time favorite recipes!
The Ultimate Grazing Board by Clean Plates (aka me): I put this tutorial for a grazing board together last year and it’s really the perfect appetizer to start off your day. Make it as small or as big as you like depending on how many people you are feeding, and do not skimp on all of the add-ins. Treat yo’ self and get the fancy cheese!
Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Wine Gravy by Half Baked Harvest: If you’re not sure how to roast the turkey this Thanksgiving, this recipe is easy and surprisingly quick; you’ll have the bird ready in less than three hours.
Green Bean Almondine by A Beautiful Plate: Okay I am a big green bean casserole girlie (my husband is going to attempt this recipe by Brian Lagerstrom, and I’m already salivating at the fried shallots), but if you aren’t and you’re looking for something different to do with your green beans, this recipe is one of my favorite go-to’s for any holiday meal.
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows by Food & Wine: I’m not usually a fan of mashed potatoes, but a twice baked sweet potato with marshmallows? Sign me the eff up.
Mini Ramekin Pumpkin Cheesecakes by me 😀: Okay this would be kind of hard to pull off with a large crowd, but if you’re cooking for a small group of people, these mini cheesecakes are my absolute favorite. Don’t forget the whipped cream and the raspberries!
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchis by Chef Savvy: If you find yourself with a lot of leftover mashed potatoes, I highly recommend this recipe. Make a pot of gnocchis for lunch the next day! Or, you could do what I recently did and freeze the gnocchis before boiling them. That way you have frozen gnocchi ready for any pasta night when you need something quick this month!
Leftover Thanksgiving Waffles by Alexa What’s For Dinner: You can use up all of your leftovers with this clever little hack: Stuffing waffle, layered with mashed potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, and any extra herbs you got. YUMMMYYYYY.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving y’all, and enjoy your one big meal.