When we sit down at the holiday table to stuff ourselves, it doesn’t necessarily have to be with unhealthy food; nor do we necessarily have to stuff ourselves! (Think Japanese diet.) It is possible to have a menu that is distinctly “Thanksgiving,” but also one that is infinitely healthier than last years. Try these suggestions on for size, and see how easy it is to make them fit into your traditional holiday fare. They’ll spark some interesting dinner conversation as well!
1 – Salads are an easy jumping off point because you’re already starting with fresh vegetables. This year, make them greener, make them organic, and throw some nuts in for added crunch and nutritional punch. Let your guests know that daily nut consumption has been linked to less weight gain over time)! And instead of store bought dressings – full of artificial ingredients and stabilizers – put some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. Lots of health benefits to that, too!
2 – Buy great Bread: real, whole-grain, rustic bread! And while you’re at it, put some bowls of extra virgin olive oil on the table for dipping! You can even spice one dipping bowl up with herbs and hot pepper flakes, and keep the other one…well, virgin. Let your guests do a taste test to see which one they prefer. You’ll never go back to sliced white and margarine again. Thank goodness.
3 – It turns out that the two most widely used methods of turkey preparation in the U.S. – roasting and deep-frying – are virtually equal in nutritional statistics. Either way, a pastured or free-range bird is always preferable as it’s been raised on a diet that is natural for the bird. (See this blog post for help making sense of supermarket labels on poultry.)
And ditch that gravy that comes in a can or jar; many contain upwards of twenty ingredients! With a pan of natural turkey drippings sitting right on the counter, there’s no reason to use anything unnatural.
Natural Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 cups pan drippings
- 3 tbsp fat, i.e. olive oil or butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh or dried herbs, to taste; i.e. thyme
Instructions
- Combine in a sauce pan, stirring until smooth.
- Listen to your guests say "Mmmmm."
- Return that can or jar of gravy.
4 – Sweet Potatoes are such nutritional powerhouses – chock full of vitamin A, beta-carotene, B-6, iron, potassium and fiber – that it’s a shame to bathe them in sugar and marshmallows! Scrub 
them, wedge them, spice them up and roast them! Use olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh garlic and thyme or curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and sea salt or search out your own recipe. They’ll shine like orange jewels!
5 – Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
These are not your grandmother’s Mashed Potatoes…they’re better, and better for you too!
I’m a big fan of olive oil for health benefits and flavor, and that’s the secret ingredient in these potatoes. Furthermore, if you have a vegan guest at your table, these will fit the bill nicely.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Good quality olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Garlic cloves, if desired
Instructions
- Peel, cube and boil the potatoes in salted water, as usual. (If you like Garlic-Mashed, simply add a few cloves to the water with the potatoes.)
- When the potatoes are fork-tender, drain, reserving about an inch of water in the bottom of the pot with the potatoes. (You'll also need to catch some of the potato water in a cup or bowl at the sink, for later usage.)
- A hand blender is needed for this part, but it's worth having one (and not just for potatoes!). Using olive oil instead of butter and/or milk, blend the potatoes with an up and down motion. Give them a stir, making sure you've gotten all the lumps. You can add a bit more olive oil or a bit of the cooking water to achieve the desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
That’s it. Trust me, these potatoes can’t be beat!
6 – Whatever vegetable you choose, make sure you can see that it’s really a vegetable! Yes, I know you’re attached to that string bean casserole…but with all the highly processed ingredients you add to it, it hardly qualifies as one. This year, why not try taking fresh string beans and sauteing them with garlic and oregano? Or toss them with slivered almonds? Tell your guests if they’re organic beans – it’ll make them feel special! Don’t bury your vegetables, showcase them!
Shortly after my book was published, I was excited to discover that it became the quotable source on nutrition stats for deep-fried turkey, as per turkeyfrying.net and The Peanut Institute. Here’s the copy from their press release:”Some may associate deep-fried foods with being highly unhealthy, but in the new book “Just Because You’re an American Doesn’t Mean You Have To Eat Like One!” author Michele Jacobson takes a closer look at this deep-frying technique. A deep-fried turkey fried in peanut oil is similar nutritionally when compared to a traditional roasted turkey in fat and calorie count. This is because the moisture in the turkey repels the oil rather than absorbing it during the deep-frying process. Due to its high temperature, the oil cannot go against the direction of the water vapor as it pushes the bubbles toward the surface so the hot oil steams the bird from the inside out.
Chicken is the most widely consumed meat in America. Many people chose it as a protein source because they are looking for a low-fat, low-cholesterol, healthy choice. Therefore, it only makes sense to follow through with that healthy thinking when making your poultry purchase at the market.