Thanksgiving meals are always a calorie catastrophe. This year, you can try to enjoy the holiday without tripping into a food coma and then waking up with food guilt. On average, Americans consume about 4,500 calories and 0.507 lbs of fat into their bodies just on Thanksgiving day. The same amount of fat that you will find in three entire butter sticks. While Thanksgiving aims at feasting on high-calorie fare, you can still make some healthy dishes and beverages for you and your family to avoid the food guilt next morning.
To speak the truth, it is, indeed, difficult to stay away from all those dishes – Roast Turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes, dry-brined turkey, cranberry juice, followed by inescapable desserts. And, then the post feast nap, followed by a few hours of watching football with beer in hand – certainly adds to the memory but also adds to your gut.
But, what about those 10 months of strenuous workout at the gym and following a superfood-rich dietary plan? Are you ready to let go in one shot? No, you are not. In many American households, Thanksgiving means feasting on calories, calories, calories, sitting still and downing bottles of beer.
Well, you can eat and drink healthy on Thanksgiving Day and yet enjoy the holiday with your friends and family.
Plan a healthy Thanksgiving menu
Eating healthy is psychological. When you host the holiday menu, chances for you to fall in the trap of calorie-rich foods is little to none. Your Thanksgiving dining table does not have to present only unhealthy dishes. You can always add some fruits, roasted vegetables, low-fat dairy items and whole grains to balance it out.
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year, you can totally make it a healthy feast by cutting off butter, sugar, cheese, carb-rich foods and high-fat dairy foods, and –
- Swap fried turkey for grilled turkey
- Swap mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower
- Swap rice for quinoa
- Swap cocoa for maca
We have prepared a healthy Thanksgiving pudding recipe for you, though.
Chocolate Maca Chia Pudding
RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 5 oz. of Maca powder
- 1/3 cup of chia seeds
- 5 oz. of pure cocoa powder
- 1 oz. of pure maple syrup
- 5 oz. of pure vanilla
Directions:
- Combine everything in a large container and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Next morning, top the mix with raw cocoa nibs, fresh fruits and coconut flakes.
Your pudding is ready to enjoy!