Real Food Stories
The question of "what to eat" can feel endlessly confusing, especially when we contend with our own deeply ingrained beliefs and stories around food. Blame social media, the headline news, and let's not get started on family influences. Passed down from generations of women and men to their daughters, it's no wonder women are so baffled about how to stay healthy the older we get.
As a nutritionist and healthy eating chef, combined with her own personal and professional experience, Heather Carey has been connected to years of stories related to diets, weight loss, food fads, staying healthy, cooking well, and eating well. Beliefs around food start the day we try our first vegetables as babies and get solidified through our families, cultures, and messages we receive throughout our lifetime.
We have the power to call out our food beliefs so we can finally make peace with what we eat and get on with enjoying the real food and lives we deserve. Listen in to find out how to have your own happy ending to your real food story. Connect with Heather at heather@heathercarey.com or visit her website at www.heathercarey.com or www.greenpalettekitchen.com
Real Food Stories
103. Your Thanksgiving Game Plan: Enjoy the Day Without the Guilt
Concerned about the holidays? Here's your 15-minute Thanksgiving pep talk!
Can Thanksgiving be the most joyous day without the side of stress and guilt? Join me as I unravel the secrets to a more mindful and balanced holiday celebration. You’ll learn how to create a harmonious, balanced Thanksgiving plate, learn to set boundaries and use the most important sentence to do just that.
As we prepare for this festive season, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and time. During this busy season, let’s focus on maintaining health and energy by embracing mindfulness and joy. Share this episode with friends who might need a nudge towards a healthier holiday mindset. Remember, Thanksgiving is not just about the food; it’s about savoring each moment with intention and gratitude. Wishing you a truly wonderful and mindful Thanksgiving celebration!
Join me for my FREE More Joy Less Stress Healthy Holiday Reset starting on December 5th! Click HERE to sign up.
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Welcome back to the Real Food Stories podcast. I am Heather Carey, your host, and I'm here to help you navigate midlife with clarity, confidence and a whole lot of support. And today we are talking about the biggest eating day of the year, and that we all know is Thanksgiving. Now, before I jump in to talking about some tips and tricks for making Thanksgiving peaceful and sane, I am so excited to tell you about something special that I have created to help you navigate the rest of this season with more ease and confidence. It's called the More Joy, less Stress, healthy Holiday Reset and it's designed specifically for women just like you in midlife, who want to feel energized, calm and in control during the holidays, without sacrificing the things they love. This isn't about restriction or adding more stress to your plate. Instead, the reset will help you focus on nourishing yourself with intention, simplifying your approach to food and prioritizing your well-being, all while fully enjoying the season, which sometimes is hard for women when we are inundated with parties and family and food and a lot of stress and family and food and a lot of stress. So, from practical tips for navigating holiday meals to simple strategies for managing stress and staying mindful, this reset is all about helping you reclaim your calm and boost your energy. Now, when you join which, by the way, is totally free this is my gift to you this season. You'll receive a beautifully designed holiday guide filled with delicious, healthy recipes, actionable tips and a flexible plan to help you thrive, not just survive, this holiday season. Believe me, I have spent years just surviving and getting through holidays, and I like to think about thriving during this time. So by the time the reset is complete, you'll feel ready to step into the new year with renewed energy, a sense of peace and a stronger connection to yourself and to your health. It's the perfect way to start fresh, grounded and focused. So stay tuned for the details. You can go to the link in the show notes. It's coming up soon. We're starting December 5th. It's a no-pressure reset. You'll get a little daily email for about two weeks, no pressure, and I can't wait to have you join me for the more joy, less stress, healthy holiday reset.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's get back to the matter at hand, and that is Thanksgiving, which is tomorrow, and if you are living in the United States, even if you are not living in the United States, everyone knows about Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving brings so much joy, stress, excitement, emotions, right, things can run high. The food, the family, the traditions it's all wonderful. But it can also feel overwhelming, especially if you're trying to stay mindful about your health and nutrition. But here's the good news Thanksgiving doesn't have to be an all or nothing day. You don't have to restrict yourself or go into a food coma to enjoy the holiday. So today I am sharing my game plan for creating a mindful plate, a way to fully enjoy the foods you love, feel good about your choices and please, let's skip the guilt. Okay, it's one day of eating, but I know that this can really stress some people out, especially if you are trying to stay healthy and you have goals and you don't want to blow things. So I understand that.
Speaker 1:Okay, first things first. Let's let go of the all or nothing thinking. You know what I mean that mindset where either you eat like a saint or you throw in the towel completely because it's just one day. Neither of these approaches really, truly works. If you restrict yourself, you might feel deprived and end up overindulging later. And on the flip side, if you go into the day thinking I'll just eat everything and I'll start fresh tomorrow, you're setting yourself up to feel physically uncomfortable and maybe even emotionally drained. The key is to approach the meal with balance and intention. This means making choices that feel good to you in the moment and remembering that one meal will never define your overall health. So let's take the pressure off and focus on enjoyment instead of perfection.
Speaker 1:Now let's get into the heart of today's episode, which I talked about just briefly creating a mindful plate. This is your go-to strategy for enjoying Thanksgiving dinner without feeling overstuffed or overwhelmed. Here's how to do it. Number one let's start thinking about protein. Okay, for women in midlife, for women going through the menopause transition. As we get older, protein becomes a priority even on this day, on Thanksgiving. We obviously have a good protein source on Thanksgiving and that is turkey, and turkey's your best friend here today. Protein helps stabilize your blood sugar, keeps you feeling full and gives you energy to enjoy the day. So, whether you prefer the white meat or the dark meat, give yourself a portion of the turkey. Don't feel bad about eating the turkey. About the size of your palm is a good guide for what we should be eating as a serving.
Speaker 1:The next thing number two pile on the vegetables. The next thing number two pile on the vegetables. There's a lot of things that go into the Thanksgiving meal that are actually really good for you. I know for our Thanksgiving tomorrow there's going to be Brussels sprouts, there's going to be green beans these are all great, good for you. Vegetables. There's going to be sweet potatoes Amazing, amazing, great. Hopefully that the people who are making them don't laden them with tons of sauces and marshmallows and things like that. But we do have good things that you can eat at the Thanksgiving dinner. So look for non-starchy vegetables like roasted Brussels sprouts, like I said, green beans, even a salad. Not only do these add color, but they add fiber, they add nutrients to your plate while giving you that satisfying feeling of fullness. So it's not so. So far, we have some protein and we have some vegetables, and it's not all that bad.
Speaker 1:Next, choose your favorite carbs. Now here's where the fun really begins. Pick one or two carb-rich dishes that you love. Maybe it's your mom's stuffing or those buttery mashed potatoes. Whatever you choose, serve yourself a portion that feels satisfying. Not too little and not too much. Let's get rid of the mindset that we never get to have this food and so therefore, we better eat. Triple the amount. And here's a pro tip Just slow down, savor every single bite. You can feel satisfied with less of some of these foods.
Speaker 1:Now next, don't fear fat. Fat is not your enemy. A little gravy on your turkey or a little butter on your vegetables is completely fine. Healthy fats can even help you feel more satisfied. So don't feel like you have to skip the fat part of the meal. And lastly, let's save a little room for dessert, because, let's be honest, dessert is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving, is it not?
Speaker 1:Now, instead of sampling every option, pick the one that you're most excited about. Maybe it's a slice of pumpkin pie or a small piece of pecan pie. Enjoy it slowly. This is about being mindful. Right, we're tasting and we're taking it in. Don't let guilt. Sneak in Dessert is part of the experience of Thanksgiving, so we're not going to come at this with deprivation. We want to enjoy, but we don't have to act like it is our last meal on earth.
Speaker 1:Now, of course, thanksgiving isn't just about the food. It's also about the people, and sometimes that comes with its own challenges. Family dynamics can be tricky and stress and emotions can lead to emotional eating and mindless eating. Now here's how to stay present and to stay grounded, just a few tips. Number one take a breath. If you are starting to feel chaos or stress, step outside for a moment. Take a breath. A quick walk, Even just a few deep breaths, can help you just have a reset. Stay present. The next way to stay present and grounded is to focus on gratitude. Isn't that what Thanksgiving actually is all about? Isn't this the holiday of gratitude? So, when you sit down to eat, take a moment to reflect on what you're grateful for, whether it's the delicious food that is available to you, the people around you, or simply the chance to just relax and enjoy with the people that you are with.
Speaker 1:Now. This one is really important. I want you to think about how you can set some boundaries, especially with food pushers. So what is a food pusher? Those are the people who say to you oh, you have to try this, or why aren't you eating more? More? Now it's okay to say I'm saving room for dessert or I'm enjoying this at my own pace, or no, thank you. No is a complete sentence. So we don't have to get riled up by the food pushers in our family. Sometimes people want to push the food because they want to eat a lot and they've got their own issues with food and they want you to join in, so you don't owe anyone an explanation for how you eat or what you are eating.
Speaker 1:Now let's remember what Thanksgiving is really about. It's about connection, gratitude and nourishment in every sense of the word. The food is part of the celebration, but it's not the whole story. Right, we've had this meal before. We know exactly what's coming up. This is not the last time we're having this Thanksgiving meal. You can enjoy the day, you can savor your favorite dishes and you can feel good about the choices that you make. And if you eat a little more than planned or indulge in an extra slice of pie, please let it go. One meal doesn't define your health and there's no reason to let guilt take away from the joy of the day. I hope you feel empowered this year to approach Thanksgiving with mindfulness and confidence this year, because you have got this.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're going to wrap this up. I know everyone is super busy and maybe you're listening to this while you're cooking or getting prepared for Thanksgiving, but I want to thank you so much for spending a little time with me today. If you found this episode helpful, I'd love for you to share it with a friend who might need a little support, just like you, before the holiday. And if you're looking for more guidance on staying healthy and energized through the holiday season, be sure to check out my free More Joy, less Stress, healthy Holiday Reset, where I share more tips, recipes and strategies, because we are just at the start of the holidays, right, we are not done. We are just about to dip our big toe into the rest of this month and get ready for a couple more of these challenges. So I'm wishing you a wonderful, mindful and joyful Thanksgiving and until next time, take care of yourself and savor the moment. Bye for now.