Enjoy Thanksgiving on the Mediterranean Diet Using 11 Strategies

It is a wonderful time of year for gathering with friends and family while enjoying delicious food. Thanksgiving is even better when you are able to enjoy it on the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet does not need to derail your Thanksgiving celebration. Olive Sunshine’s 11 strategies may help you to enjoy your turkey while honoring your commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Not only do these suggestions help frame thanksgiving through a balanced eye, but also drills down into ways to lighten up the menu without sacrificing the meal. Remember, the Mediterranean Diet is a way of eating, or as I like to call it a way of living. On this WOE, celebrations are perfectly acceptable. See it there at the top of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid? Even adopting a few of these suggested strategies will Mediterraneanize your Thanksgiving!

11 Healthy Thanksgiving Strategies from Olive Sunshine

1. Enjoy Meals with Others. First, gathering around the dinner table with others is a foundation of the Mediterranean Diet. Do not sit in front of the television mindlessly eating. Do slow-down enjoying every morsel with those you care about!
2. Be Physically Active. Exercise is the foundational tier of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. My family loves to offset our day of full-plate eating with movement. Fortunate to live in Florida, we start the day with a 5K Turkey Trot or a swim in the pool. We end the day with pool volleyball after dark (I am sure the neighbors love us). A favorite memory, the whole family went out on the intercoastal, on anything available: paddleboards, kayak and even an old canoe! For my cold-weather friends, fall hikes, or snowy activities with the family will get you moving,
3. Prepare Yourself. Since Mark does the cooking for Thanksgiving, I meal prep for the week on Saturday. This allows me to both stay out of “his” kitchen (once a year) and we eat clean, healthy meals that can be prepared easily. Italian Farro with Brussels Sprouts and Sundried Tomatoes was a favorite this year.

Italian Farro with Brussels Sprouts and Sundried Tomatoes

4. Choose Healthy Appetizers (or even forego them). Save your calories for the meal. Too often there are heavy cheese and meat platters, high sodium crackers, chips and calorie-laden dips. In our family, we tend to get a late breakfast after the 5K and eat the meal midday. We snack on olives and a veggie platter at noon which is perfect to hold us over until dinner.

The MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGY to Enjoy Thanksgiving on the Mediterranean Diet

5. Mediterraneanize the Thanksgiving Meal. To me this is the most important strategy! My first Thanksgiving on the Mediterranean Diet, I did not employ this strategy. At the end of the night, I was doubled over with a sick stomach. The next day, I was swollen from inflammation. Never again. Today, I (well Mark) make sure to make all of our favorites using the principles of the Mediterranean Diet. These include, cooking ONLY with Olive Oil (bye butter), using whole grain items when appropriate, and using homemade items.
   • Turkey – is basted in extra virgin olive oil – no butter! Lucky for me that is what he always does. Avoid the skin!
   • Dressing/Stuffing – is made with whole grain bread! I promise it is the BEST.
   • Green Bean Casserole – is no longer made with canned cream of mushroom soup! Mark makes a homemade plant-based mushroom soup! Wow is it SO MUCH BETTER.
   • Mashed Potatoes – Homemade and made with plant-based milk, extra-virgin olive oil and less salt than in the past.
   • Sweet Potatoes or Yams – avoid topping them with sugar and marshmallows. To achieve that same sweetness, start with a fresh potato or yam and then roast it. The caramelization of the root vegetable is sweet enough from the natural sugars. I like to serve them sliced as all of the crispy edges are sweet. If you HAVE to have some liquid, add a combo of olive oil and real maple syrup after the potato (or yam) caramelizes. It will be SO much better than the canned items, with all the gooey stuff (promise).
   • Dinner Rolls – make your own whole grain rolls!

The SECOND AND THIRD MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGY

6. Use the Mediterranean Diet Perfect Plate. This is the PERFECT meal to use the perfect plate model. Yes, some of the vegetables will be starchy and that is fine (remember this is a celebration). I do try to make sure that at least a quarter of my plate is loaded with non-starchy veggies!
7. Do not overeat. Every American wishes they would not overeat, and yet most do. There should only be one stuffed turkey at the table! I know it is easier said than done. Here are some helpful hints to not overeating so you can enjoy Thanksgiving on the Mediterranean Diet.
   • Use a salad plate. You may still have seconds, but you might have had seconds with the larger plate too!
   • Eat slowly (note to self). Pace yourself.
   • Be excited for leftovers! (More on this below.)

11 Healthy Strategies to Enjoy Thanksgiving on the Mediterranean Diet

8. Limit the salt, fat and sugar by being mindful of the big-ticket items. Gravy is full of sodium and fat, canned cranberry sauce is loaded with sugar, dressing (my favorite) is high in calories! YES, enjoy these items, but be aware of those hidden pitfalls and have just enough to enjoy rather than overindulge. For example, I love cranberry sauce with my turkey. I only need a bite or two to satisfy my tastebuds, I do not need cranberry with every bite.
9. Desserts. Loaded word, right? You have a few options here. One, you can make Mediterranean Diet friendly desserts, for example, this delightful Italian Almond Cake with Raspberries. But if you are like Mark, and you “cannot” do without your favorite traditional dessert – have it! But choose ONE! Do not make apple, pumpkin and minced meat for six people. Plan the appropriate amount of dessert for the number there. Mark loves minced meat pie. I can skip dessert and have fruit. There are some lovely mangos ripening that will be amazingly refreshing after the meal. A week or two after Thanksgiving, I will make my favorite Mediterranean Diet Chocolate Cake. It will give me something to look forward to enjoying. It also keeps me from getting too stuffed on Thanksgiving. It is not about deprivation; it is about choices. Choices that allow me to stay in control of how I feel!

The Meal that Keeps on Giving

10. Leftovers. Thanksgiving is the meal that keeps on giving and giving. One resource claims the average American gains 8lbs during the holidays (that is up from 7lbs in 2019). I am sure leftovers play a big part of this weight gain. Here are my strategies for leftovers.
    • Strategies 1-9 should be kept in mind when eating leftovers.
    • Just because you have enough leftovers for lunch and dinner for 5 days does not mean you should eat them. We freeze about half the turkey and some of the dressing and enjoy it at Christmas.
    • Limit yourself to ONE hot turkey sandwich and make it open faced (one piece of bread). YES, it is delicious, but it is decadent enough that one a year will do you!
    • Repurpose the leftovers. This will not make the food lighter but you can spread it over more meals rather than one giant plate of food. Using it for different meals will allow you to add veggies and fruits! For example, add the sweet potatoes to other vegetables in a pita for a sandwich. Make a Turkey and Black Bean Taco Salad. Use the turkey meat for a healthy turkey soup with rice and veggies. Make healthy turkey enchiladas with black beans and homemade salsa roja. Leftover mashed potatoes make delicious breakfast potato pancakes, top with greeked yogurt and fresh fruit.

The 11th Strategy to Enjoy Thanksgiving for Anyone!

11. Be Easy on Yourself. This is a special event, and it does focus on food. You will splurge, you will eat things you do not normally on the Mediterranean Diet. Do not feel guilty. Enjoy it. It is good to try to honor your journey on the Mediterranean Diet. You will feel better physically and mentally. This list of 11 items is not intended to be a checklist of “must dos”. These are suggestions to try so you can honor your way of eating on the Mediterranean Diet. It is important to like how you are feeling about yourself! Often when we feel badly, we will spiral down and make poor choices moving forward.

A Free Offer to Support Your Journey on the Mediterranean Diet

Thanksgiving is our favorite family holiday. I love that that Mediterranean Diet is the perfect way of living to enjoy Thanksgiving! Join the Olive Sunshine Thanksgiving Reset! A 14-day guide to enjoy the holidays and stay healthy on the Mediterranean Diet!