Fix a healthier Thanksgiving Dinner, 2014....

Today's Post:  Thursday, 11-13-2014

Here is my 2014 update on the versions I posted in 2008 to 2013. 

There are two ways to a healthier Thanksgiving Dinner. (You can use all the info if you are doing it all or just for the dish or two you bring.)

1.  Today we talk about ways to prepare a healthier Thanksgiving Dinner.

2.  The week of Thanksgiving on Tuesday, we plan a post on how to stay healthier eating a Thanksgiving Dinner no matter how it's fixed.

There's no perfect way to do either.  The focus at Thanksgiving & at Thanksgiving Dinner must be on enjoying the day.  Enjoy the food.  Enjoy the company.  And, enjoy the time off work!

My Brother in Law once said at Thanksgiving Dinner that he did NOT want to hear anything about what he shouldn't eat for Thanksgiving Dinner just in case I had any ideas of doing so.

I didn't then; & I won't this year.  I agree with him.  I believe as he does that the focus at Thanksgiving & at Thanksgiving Dinner must be on enjoying the day.  Enjoy the food.  Enjoy the company.  And, do nothing to distract from that focus.  If anything, help make an enjoyable stress free dinner happen instead!

That said, there's a very large list of ways to make the dishes for the Thanksgiving Dinner either better for you or far less bad for you -- for those dishes you make yourself.

If there is a family favorite that you've made forever that has not so great ingredients, make it anyway or move it just a bit in a healthier direction to make it a bit less bad for health.  Do your best to make a version that people will still really like.

However, to the extent you can reduce or replace any of these next ingredients with healthier alternatives, it's a good idea.

1.  Sugar.

Real sugar or brown sugar or real maple syrup or dark molasses are least bad for you and most likely to be in some holiday dishes.  (Artificial sugars and agave nectar are NOT OK for health and many hate the taste of Stevia.)  The key is to use real sugar and go easy the days before and after Thanksgiving day and eat the dishes with sugar On Thanksgiving only after eating some protein and vegetables.

You can also take a cinnamon supplement a few minutes before you eat a sweet treat with sugar.  This cuts back on both the blood sugar and the insulin surge to make it less harmful and fattening.

In making the food, you can try making it half with brown sugar or real maple syrup or dark molasses because those have flavor in addition to the sugar.  (If you can get it, C & H sugar from Hawaiian sugar cane is NOT GMO nor is real maple syrup.)

You can then add organic raisins for some dishes instead of the other half the sugar in some dishes.  That adds fiber and a new kind of taste to the dish.

Or, you can use half coconut sugar to make the overall sugar lower glycemic since coconut sugar is only 45 while regular is 65 and half and half is 55 instead of 65. 

Or you can use half of one of those and half erythritol.  That has half the sugar and calories so the glycemic load is less too.  Erythritol is a sugar alcohol but is available in granules much like real sugar.  Like coconut sugar, it’s a bit less sweet than regular sugar; but by being only half the sweeteners the combination with a form of real sugar will be close to as sweet. 

The calories and glycemic load are half as much but check for taste before bringing this version or the half coconut sugar one.  (The coconut sugar has a mild brown sugar like taste & likely will pass.  The erythritol version may or may not.  Be sure to check before bringing it.)

Erythritol is OK in small amounts and only half the sweetener besides.  Unlike the artificial sweeteners, it is from natural sources and has no listed health harms reported.

My favorite suggestion is to use half the sugar as real maple syrup or brown sugar from C & H or dark molasses and half as loosely packed organic raisins.  That combination will be festive and taste sweet and be health Ok as long as you go easy on the number of servings.

2.  High fructose corn syrup.  (Much of it contains mercury and the research finds it harmful.)

Be very careful to NOT use any ingredients or foods or drinks that contain high fructose corn syrup.  Recent research finds it to be a heart attack starter and much more fattening than real sugar!)

3.  Refined grains or rice. (These spike blood sugar more than sugar!  Minimize grain and rice as ingredients and use 100% whole grains instead if the dish works at all that way.)

You can also use quinoa  instead which makes a rice like dish that both has more protein of better quality and is much lower glycemic than whole grains, rice, and brown rice.

It also ONLY comes as non GMO.  (That’s because the bitter taste you have to soak off is the plant’s natural pesticide.  So it needs no pesticide either sprayed or genetically added to the food where it cannot be removed as GMO grains do.)

4.  Salt.  (Use some but don't overdo it. And, have some salt free choices for those who need them.  For example, be sure to include some unsalted vegetables raw or cooked to counter balance it with their potassium.)

5.  Fat from grain fed animals that is also high in omega 6 oils.  (You're virtually guaranteed to have some.  But where you can, in recipes, substitute some fat from animals that are 100% grass or pasture fed or substitute extra virgin olive oil.)

6.  Trans fats (aka as  partially hydrogenated oils). (Deadly stuff! Use NONE of it voluntarily.  Use no Crisco or other trans fat based shortening. Use no margarine -- which also is high in omega 6 oils besides the trans fats.

Real butter is better!  And real butter from grass fed cows is best if you can get it.  Just use a bit less or when you can, use extra virgin olive oil.

Our Whole Foods carries Kerrygold Irish butter from grass fed cows; and it has GREAT buttery taste.)

7.  Soft drinks.  (Both regular and diet, these are the worst fatteners consumed by humans. 

The rest of the Thanksgiving dinner feast is enough already! Add no more fatteners!  Since these are the worst known, refuse to bring them or drink them yourself on Thanksgiving.)

8.  MSG.  MSG both fattens even with the same calorie intake AND is thought to be one of the many causes of the damage that causes mental decline too!  Don’t use MSG or foods or spice blends containing MSG or autolyzed yeast or “spices.”

1.  Sugar. 

(This is a separate and second bit I wrote about ways to keep enough sugar to enjoy or to have people who want it to enjoy.  It has some slightly different ideas than the one above.)

Make or serve slightly smaller portions of foods with sugar.  Even 10 % less will help.  (More than 20 % less will likely cause a request for bigger portions or a second helping.)

Make enough for 1 and a half servings each instead of two or three.

Let people serve themselves that food.  That way people who prefer to not eat the sugary food get no sugar from it all. 

Use 10 to 20 % less sugar in the recipe.  The flavored sugars such as brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and dark molasses can make this hard to detect since there is still a good bit of sugar AND their distinctive flavor to make sure the sugar is noticed.

Substitute raisins or sugared dried cranberries (You have to make dried or sweetened cranberries yourself such as using un-dried cranberries cut in half and then simmered in real maple syrup but only use the cranberries. 

The store bought dried and sweetened cranberries use high fructose corn syrup)

Or substitute walnuts or pecans for part of the sugar if no one is allergic to the nuts.  For some foods, bits of bittersweet dark chocolate might work.  If it will work in the recipe OK, use flavored sugars, brown sugar, honey, or 100 % real maple syrup.  The flavor will make up for the sugar reduction somewhat.  If the recipe works with it, add cinnamon for the same reason.  In addition, it helps your body handle the sugar you eat it with.

Or, use 25% less sugar but replace that sugar with the natural but no calorie sweetener, erythritol.  (Using more than 25% erythritol may not taste as good and might cause your body to crave more sugar.  Try the recipe ahead of time to check it for taste.)

(In 2009, we suggested using Agave nectar or syrup. Do NOT use it!

Since then I tried it and found it NOT to be a very good substitute for sugar. I found it to have a harsh undertone.

AND it's basically straight fructose which is actually WORSE for you than sugar.  Things like maple syrup or brown sugar taste better and actually are better for you!)

2.  High fructose corn syrup.

Currently, this means no store bought pies or other desserts.  Too many of them still contain this.  Do your best to get homemade with real sugar instead even if you have to trade favors with the cook if you don't cook or haven't time. 

Make a strong special effort to not serve or use jam or jelly unless you've read the label and it ONLY has real sugar.  It's changed but at one time, over 90 % of store bought jams and jellies still had high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar. 

Similarly use real maple syrup only in recipes that call for it instead of other kinds. Over 90 % of those that just are syrup for pancakes etc still have high fructose corn syrup while 100 % real maple syrup has only sugar. 

And, either substitute a bit of brown sugar or real maple syrup with a bit of a mild tasting or bland extra virgin olive oil instead of commercial marshmallows as I've read they also tend to have high fructose corn syrup. 

(Since I wrote this section initially, it came out that about 30 % of all high fructose corn syrup including in name brand foods is contaminated with mercury.  Has this been fixed since then? I very seriously doubt it.)

(Pretest recipes before you cook the one for the Thanksgiving Dinner if you can, for best results!)

3.  Refined grain.

Use organic, sprouted grain breads (such as Food For Life Ezekiel or Genesis Bread) for bread or toast crumbs for the stuffing.  They contain sprouted whole grains and are higher in fiber and protein than refined grain breads. 

Even many diabetics find these breads do NOT spike their blood sugar like refined grain breads do.

(Make sure that if you make this that people know it does have some wheat and gluten.)

Experiment with gravy made with lightly toasted gluten free buckwheat flour &/or canned black eyed peas that have been run through a blender for refined grain wheat flour in the gravy. 

It also works to add button mushrooms or diced onion that has been sautéed in extra virgin olive oil.  (Minced garlic and sautéed mushrooms and extra virgin olive oil and pureed cooked black eyed peas and a bland extra virgin olive oil make a decent vegan gravy I found.  It also has zero gluten.)

Use gluten free buckwheat flour for pie crusts and make pies with a bottom crust only or a top crust only instead having a crust both places.  Or use the lattice style on top.

Avoid commercially baked pies and pie crusts if you can.

With the possible exception of those from Whole Foods Markets, or a custom, to-order bakery, they all contain refined grains. 

Even worse, most to almost all commercial pie crusts use shortening or other hydrogenated vegetable oil and trans fats.  That stuff is heart attack starter.  So do NOT use or eat commercial pie crust except those that only use butter or use slightly healthier oils as the special pie crust shells at Whole Foods do.   (Since I discovered that, if I'm served commercial pie, I eat the filling only and leave the crust.)

4.  Salt.  Try to use no packaged or commercial foods as they virtually all have added salt and two or three times as much as they should or have the salt when it's not needed. If you can, make it yourself instead &/or use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned. 

And, use a bit less in recipes that otherwise would be a bit salty.  (Unless you are making a dish just for someone who cannot have ANY salt, leave in at least a quarter teaspoon or so per serving or two as a recipe that normally has salt tastes "off" with none at all.

And/or use sea salt as it has salts of other minerals besides sodium in it. 

Of course, in many dishes, you can substitute a bit of minced raw garlic or a very small bit of cayenne pepper for some of the salt for a dish that still tastes good. (Pretest this before you cook the one for the Thanksgiving Dinner though, for best results!)

5.  Less total and more health OK fats.

Cook the stuffing on the stove top instead of inside the turkey. (Inside the turkey stuffing soaks up a lot of total fat, and in grain fed turkeys, a lot of omega 6 oils.)

Serve a small pat of butter or two on top of a dish after it's cooked and still pretty hot instead of using more in the recipe.  (You get the great taste but with a lot less of the fat and calories that way.)

Where you can, substitute extra virgin olive oil.  For example you can strain out the fattiest bits out of the turkey drippings and mix that half and half with extra virgin olive oil for the gravy.  Or you can do 2/3 strained turkey drippings and 1/3 extra virgin olive oil. 

If you include lightly toasted gluten free buckwheat flour &/or button mushrooms or diced onion that has been sautéed in extra virgin olive oil or a bit of minced, fresh garlic, the extra flavor makes up for less turkey broth.

Also consider adding dried and pitted (& checked for being pitted) dried sour cherries to the gravy and the stuffing.  They add a tasty, festive touch AND help your body process the saturated fat.  Diced cranberries also work and fit the traditional Thanksgiving taste themes.

And, to the extent you can, let the turkey drippings drip out of the turkey before it's served.

Minimize cheese dishes or make small portions and use those from grass fed cows. 

Kerrygold Killaree Irish Cheddar is one such cheese. (Kerrygold also makes a butter from cows fed only grass.)

Butter and cheese from grass fed cows do have saturated fat -- but we now know that in moderation  it’s OK for health and even may help protect your heart. 

The omega 6 oils in cheese and butter from cows fed GMO corn are NOT OK to eat if you value your health.  Use extra virgin olive oil and other protein foods instead if you can’t use grass fed. At least eat very little and do NOT cook with it.

Precut butter into small pats instead of serving it by the quarter pound.

Lastly, to the extent you can, include onion and fresh minced, garlic in the foods unless one of the guests will dislike them or be allergic.  They help your body process saturated fat and extra fat.

If you can reliably get a truly pasture raised turkey to cook, it will have less saturated and total fat and omega 6 oils even before it's cooked than a grain fed turkey will.

Use gluten free buckwheat flour for pie crusts and make pies with a bottom crust only instead of one on top as well.

Avoid commercially baked pies. With the possible exception of those from Whole Foods Markets, or a custom, to-order bakery, they almost all use Crisco which has trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils.

Use butter instead.  It's dramatically better for you than Crisco!  And, you can just make pies with only a bottom crust so there's a bit less butter in them.

6.  Trans fats (aka as partially hydrogenated oils).

Avoid buying commercially baked cookies or biscuits as most still have this junk. 

And, either substitute a bit of brown sugar or real maple syrup with a bit of a mild tasting or bland extra virgin olive oil instead of commercial marshmallows as I've read they also tend to contain hydrogenated oils. 

Use whole gluten free buckwheat flour for pie crusts and make pies with a bottom crust only instead of one on top as well. 

Avoid commercially baked pies.  With the possible exception of those from Whole Foods Markets, or a custom, to-order bakery, they almost all use Crisco which has trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils.

Use butter instead.  It's dramatically better for you than Crisco.

To repeat, most to almost all commercial pie crusts use shortening or other hydrogenated vegetable oil and trans fats. 

That stuff is heart attack starter.  So do NOT use or eat commercial pie crust except those that only use butter or use slightly healthier oils as the special pie crust shells at Whole Foods do.  

(Since I discovered that, if I'm served commercial pie, I eat the filling only and leave the crust.)

7.  Soft drinks.

Soft drinks, both regular and diet are about as harmful to consume as is smoking. 

And, on top of that, they are each extremely fattening. 

Do yourself and everyone else a favor and don’t buy any to reward the companies that still make them!

Serve Martinelli's sparkling apple juice, their sparkling cranberry, apple juice blend or a similar combination and 100 % real fruit juice instead.

Club soda and iced tea also work.

In very careful moderation, Champagne or a Sparkling Burgundy or Sparkling Pinot Noir also works.

Do your very best to avoid serving regular or diet soft drinks unless you know your guests will be extremely unhappy without them.  Or if only one or two guests want soft drinks, politely request they bring their own.  At least you won't help enable their bad habit. 

(The evidence now is that drinking abundant amounts of regular or diet soft drinks is about as bad for you as smoking.  It just makes you fat and tends to cause type 2 diabetes & heart disease – just like smoking does.)

8.  Add some good for you foods that help people fill up without the extra amounts of less good for you food components.

Be sure to include good tasting vegetable dishes and a salad or two served without dressing that people can add their own serving of dressing to; and provide a couple or three almost OK kinds in various flavors.

(There are now several dozen recipes from the Wheat Belly people and the Paleo people for really great tasting vegetable dishes that you can make.

Hope to have a few of those and some links next year. )

I’ve not tried either one.  But here are two that you might experiment with:

Curried coconut cauliflower:

Dice up some organic cauliflower and cook it over low heat, and low heat only -- until it’s just begun to soften, in organic coconut milk with turmeric powder and mince garlic and some sea salt to taste.

Try it out well before to make sure you can make a version that tastes good for Thanksgiving.

That’s a way to include a very low glycemic serving of a cruciferous vegetable in a good tasting dish that also is good for you in other ways.

No crust festive pumpkin puree:

Get a can of pumpkin puree only.  Whole Foods often has those on sale this time of year.

Mix it half and half with Maple Hill grass fed yogurt.

Then add some pumpkin pie spice, some cinnamon, and raw pecans or walnuts, and some real maple syrup or dark molasses to taste.   (As long as you go easy on the maple syrup or dark molasses, this will taste great and taste better than most pumpkin pies!)

And as another example of ways to get some health OK vegetables available, my wife and I also now bring the relish dish.  We include raw organic broccoli florets, radishes, pitted olives, carrot sticks from peeled carrots, and sometimes celery sticks or raw chunks of cauliflower. 

We take real sour cream or Maple Hill Yogurt with curry powder; hummus, and a health OK dressing from Annie’s Naturals which Whole Foods carries for dips. 

(Guacamole is OK & even good for health but no one but me used any the time we brought some.  So we stopped bringing that.  It didn't work for the rest of my family.  Yours might like it. Try it and see.)

New in 2013 and still available in 2014!  Maple Hill Farms makes a full fat yogurt from grass fed cows that is available at Whole Foods.  Try that in moderate amounts instead of sour cream from grain fed cows for dips. It’s very rich tasting.

9.  As we discuss next on Tuesday the week of Thanksgiving on how to enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner no matter how it’s fixed --

In your own eating, eat a bit more of the protein foods and a lot more of the healthier vegetable dishes and smaller servings of only the less healthy stuff that you actually like.

Eat virtually NONE of the less healthy stuff that you find OK but not great. 

That way you'll certainly be full enough to feel like you've been to a feast and eat foods you enjoy -- but with minimum damage!

Do the best you can.

Then focus as much as you can on enjoying the food and the people. 

It won't be perfect; but it can be better. 

Let yourself enjoy it; & focus on the parts that ARE going well.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!