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How to Survive Turkey Day
by Modern Forager.com
Well, [tomorrow] is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, so that means time to stuff ourselves silly, watch NFL football, and listen to Uncle Larry tell that you joke for the thirty-fifth time. So first of all, Happy Thanksgiving. I’m posting this today so you have a chance to digest (har har!) it before the big day arrives. I don’t know about you all, but I probably won’t be on the computer much tomorrow.
And now here’s my Thanksgiving Survival Guide:
Wake Up With A Workout
Thanksgiving festivities start early for some of us. Lucky for me, my first event isn’t until 2pm, so I have plenty of time to get up and get some exercise in. Regardless of when the first meal is, get up and get in a nice hard workout. I’ll be getting out and sprinting. Maybe a CrossFit workout is your poison of choice. Or perhaps an interval workout.
Whatever you choose, get up and do something. It will get your body burning calories and open those muscles up for refueling glycogen from the carbs that Thanksgiving menus tend to be full of. You’re basically mitigating the damage up front with a workout.
Get Plenty of Protein
Be sure to load up on the turkey, ham, goose, duck, lamb, beef, or whatever proteins are available. Protein will help fill you up and tends to come with fat that will also signal your brain to stop eating. If nothing else, the space that the turkey is occupying can’t be occupied by mashed potatoes. Don’t forget to eat a few deviled eggs, mainly because they are darn tasty, but also because eggs are good for you.
Vegetables Are Your Friend
Thanksgiving menus don’t really tend to be loaded with non-starchy vegetables or at least not vegetables that aren’t smothered in cream or cheese sauces. Oh, you’ll find plenty of mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, creamed green beans, broccoli casseroles, and other such fare. But if you see a relish tray or a salad, load up on some raw vegetables. There are probably some regular green beans hanging out somewhere too, perhaps the delicious kind made with real bacon.
Eat Some Of What You Want
I will guarantee you that along with lots of turkey, the following foods will end up in my belly: Mom’s sweet potatoes, a slice of pumpkin pie, and a roll or two loaded with butter. And possibly something else that I wouldn’t normally eat. And that’s A-OK. This is only one day. Eat the foods you wait for all year. You don’t have to eat 4 servings of everything to enjoy it either. It typically only takes a small serving to satisfy your jonesing for something.
Don’t Stuff Yourself
There’s nothing enjoyable about being unable to move after eating. Eat until you’re satisfied. Then get up and go do something else. If you have to visit multiple families, pick out specific dishes at each place that are your favorites and focus on those. For instance, maybe Mom makes the world’s greatest potato salad, while Granny has the best stuffing. Skip the sub-par stuffing and have some of Granny’s. Avoid the not-so-good potato salad and have a bit of Mom’s (that’s a shout-out to Mom and her World’s Greatest Potato Salad…seriously, people that don’t like potato salad like my Mom’s).
Step Away From The Kitchen and No One Gets Hurt
If you stand around all that food and chit-chat, you’re going to keep eating. It’s that simple. The mammalian brain is geared to eat when food is present. After all, we never know when our next meal will be, in the whole hunter-gatherer sense. So move along. You might find something better to do than continuing to stuff your face.
Enjoy The Time With Family And Friends
So what do you do after you’ve eaten your fill? Find a way to enjoy the company you’re keeping. They are your family after all. Play pool, throw a football, get out a board game, play some cards, or go for a walk. Once the small talk has run its course and you have little left to talk about, turn on football for some familial bonding that requires little talking…you have Tennessee/Detroit at 12:30, Seattle/Dallas at 4:15, and Arizona/Philadelphia at 8:15.
Leave The Leftovers
So you’ve succeeded at not stuffing yourself, not falling into a carb-induced coma, and even got a bit of quality time with beloved cousins, aunts, uncles, and others. What now? No doubt the host of dinner is going to have care packages ready for everyone so they don’t end up with 2 weeks worth of turkey sandwiches. But remember…we were trying to minimize the damage of most of this overly carby food in the first place. So make sure you get out the door without an armload of leftovers. If the food isn’t available at your house, you obviously can’t eat it.
Get Back On The Wagon
It’s unlikely that you’re going to stick to your typical daily fare on Thanksgiving. It’s unlikely that your relatives are going to use coconut oil or lard for cooking and have a bottle of olive oil sitting next to the salad for dressing (though you could ask for olive oil). However, it’s not that difficult to enjoy the day, enjoy some off-diet foods, and still make it to Black Friday with your waistband fitting. Just get back on the wagon on Friday and you’re not likely to do any damage. Remember: it’s only one day. Don’t get too crazy, but don’t deprive yourself of things you’ll enjoy either.
I figure with the amount of food typically eaten on Thanksgiving, a full-day fast on Friday will do me good.
And you’re on your own to deal with Aunt Edna.
What other tips do you have for dodging the Thanksgiving bullet and escaping without completely undoing all of your hard work?
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