Posts Tagged ‘turkey dinner’

Anyone Up For Some Turkey, eh?

October 6th, 2010

HPIM1660Sorry. I couldn’t help myself with the title.

Now that the leaves are changing and autumn is upon us, for us Canadians, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This Monday to be exact. What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving?

I think it safe to say for a lot of people it’s turkey!

Yes, yummy turkey. The holiday just wouldn’t be the same without Mom’s turkey dinner. Now, how does this play into my new Eating for Energy lifestyle and the strict diet I’m following at the moment?

When I began this, I gave myself permission to have one “cheat” meal a month. This way, if a holiday or birthday comes up, there is no need for me to sit by and watch while my family enjoys a meal I want to share in. So this weekend I will be having turkey and all the fixings.

But this doesn’t mean I get a free pass. Definitely not. I’m going to be smart about this. There is no need to pile my plate so full there’s no plate to be seen. I already know what overeating feels like, and I’ll pass, thanks.

I only need small helpings to gain the satisfaction of having that turkey dinner. I will also begin the meal with a large salad and raw veggies to make sure I eat something that hasn’t had all the enzymes killed by the cooking process. In addition, I’ll be sure to take digestive enzymes to help my body process all the cooked food I’m giving it.

And you know what? I won’t feel guilty as long as I don’t overindulge. Moderation is going to be the key to this holiday dinner. I may even treat myself to a small slice of pumpkin pie. Yum, my favourite.

So hopefully this year I won’t experience quite the same level of fatigue that always accompanies a large meal, although I think it’s inevitable to a degree when it comes to turkey. Isn’t there something in turkey that makes us sleepy?

As for the week leading up to the dinner, I’m trying to be extra good. I haven’t been as strict lately and I feel the difference in the fact I’m more fatigued that I’d like to be. Today went well, with me eating mostly raw and nothing refined and I feel the improvement already. I’ve been eating too many things with flour lately. Just because I switched to brown rice flour isn’t an excuse to over do it.

So what are your plans for Thanksgiving? What are you grateful for? (Which is what the holiday should be about.) I’m grateful for my ever improving health and new positive outlook and a chance to share the evening with my family.

Feel free to leave comments.

Nichole

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Posted in Client Journeys

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Recovering from Thanksgiving

October 13th, 2009

Here in Canada, we just celebrated my favourite holiday – Thanksgiving.

Although it’s my favourite holiday of the year, it does come with a price – an overwhelming amount of food.

However, this year, I was much better than I have been in the past. I remember when I was younger stuffing my face with plates of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and of course dessert.

This only led to me falling asleep on the couch right after dinner due to sheer digestive exhaustion.

This year was different though.

Yes, I did have some turkey (I do eat meat occasionally).

Yes, I did have stuffing, potatoes, and all the other great veggies.

But I only had a little piece of dessert, which for me is a huge step forward since I’ve got a big sweet tooth, especially for pumpkin pie.

The thing is, though, that I now I value how I want to feel more than the instant gratification of any given food. Therefore, I waited a good hour or so to allow my dinner to digest somewhat before enjoying a little piece of pumpkin pie.

Believe me, the following morning I felt much better.

I also pulled out 2 of my other digestive “weapons” to help me fight the turkey dinner battle.

The first one was taking several digestive enzymes throughout the meal. Since the entire turkey dinner was “dead” – that is cooked – I knew I had to help my digestive system out by adding some exogenous enzymes to help breakdown the food.  These made a huge difference.

The other weapon I used was a probiotic (11 billion per capsule) which I took before going to bed. Probiotics are good bacteria that help your colon finish digestion partially digested foods, help form proper stool, and much more. I take a probiotic every night before going to bed and Thanksgiving was no different.

The combination of eating in moderation and using digestive enzymes and probiotics made a big difference for me in helping me recover from Thanksgiving dinner.

How about you – how was your dinner? Any strategies you’d like to share?

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Posted in General Nutrition

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