Giving thanks for it all!

It is the week of Thanksgiving and all the health blogs are a buzz with ways to avoid overeating this holiday. Want to hear my ideas? If you know me at all, you will know that I support eating habits that don't demonize foods. If you really want a cupcake then share it with someone, or eat the whole thing if you want! Just don't do it all the time, and make sure it's a REALLY good one you know? Make sure it's high quality made with real ingredients; none of these grocery store bakery excuses for baked goods that come from huge plastic vats. Gross. Moderation, as you know, is key.

Anyway back to Thanksgiving. I'm going to give you the back up story so you don't get confused when you hear my advice and misunderstand me. On a regular basis I have a tendency to eat lots of vegetables and beans. I really enjoy my one-pot veggie-bean concoctions! I use one pot because I do not enjoy doing dishes, and I prefer to eat meals from a bowl all mixed together. So it makes sense to make lots of soup-like meals. That's just me though. And I really enjoy eating nutritiously because it tastes great and makes me feel good. So Thanksgiving, for me, is a time when I am presented with a large variety of singular dishes. My mother is a phenomenal cook, so I know that all the dishes will be flavorful and still nutritious; being made from whole foods. So therefore I am excited to try EVERYTHING that she has made.

Without trying too hard I will have my plate loaded with little spoonfuls of all the dishes. I will not clean my plate by any stretch, but I am not going to nit pick my way through my mother's Thanksgiving day dinner either. I will try everything and focus on my favorites. I will also keep in mind that there is delicious pie (made by me) for dessert and no amount or quality of stuffing can be substituted for a slice of quality pumpkin pie.

By the end of the night I will be full and happy. I will not be sick. I will not regret my choices. I will feel satisfied in all regards and will look forward to having leftover brussel sprouts and chestnuts with homemade cranberry-orange relish the next day. I will also be thankful that Thanksgiving meals come only once a year. If it was more often then I thoroughly believe that they would not be nearly so special.

So my advice is this: Eat foods that come from the ground on all days of the year, but on Thanksgiving eat what you like! Don't put yourself into a food coma for God's sake, but eat heartily if that is what you want to do. Just make sure that you return to normal the next day!

Hopefully the weather on Thursday will be nice enough to enable a family walk or hike before or after dinner. Let your body care that you aren't going to let it fall into disrepair because of one meal! Remember to hit your gym or the trail this weekend and maintain your physical activity!

Be thankful for your health, your friends, your family, and simply be thankful for life lived your way! I wish you and your family all the best this Thanksgiving!! Have fun and enjoy!