Southbeach Diet Thanksgiving Meals

When most Americans hear the word Thanksgiving, one of the first things that comes to mind is FOOD and the way their body will pay for that after the holidays! But it doesn't have to be that way. You can still enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving feast by using your creativity and knowledge of healthy foods. It might take a bit of extra effort on your part, but your health is worth it! If you haven't already begun a low-carb lifestyle, this Thanksgiving dinner can be somewhat of a challenge for you. My personal recommendation is taking a look at http://www.southbeach.com for ideas on incorporating a lesser-carb lifestyle into your diet. When I say the word, diet, I am referring to a way of life, a lifestyle of eating, and that diet should be a healthy one! Southbeach is just that. If you do choose to do carbs, you will be choosing whole-grain ones and choosing healthier fats over the saturated ones that take years off your heart. The bad carbs are those that contain refined sugar and are the leading cause of diabetes and heart disease.

Being on a lower-carb diet myself, I realize how difficult it can be to show up at a party where carbohydrates are oozing out of every dish and everywhere you turn, people are gobbling it up. At home I can cook my own healthy meals, but outside the home, I can start to feel out of control when it comes to my diet. Luckily for me, I use my creativity to help me out in situations like this!

I know you aren't going to want to bring your own food in a Tupperware dish and idly sit in the corner eating a salad while others enjoy their Thanksgiving meal. So this low-carb turkey wrap will use ingredients commonly found at the Thanksgiving dinner party already.

Turkey Wraps:
Two large leaves of lettuce
Turkey
½ Teaspoon of cranberry sauce (loaded with sugar, so use sparingly)
Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or lowfat mayo)
A couple twigs of parsley or cilantro (whatever is available at the table, even mint will do)
Tablespoon of crushed peanuts (this you may need to bring)
Tablespoon of corn (optional, but remember, corn IS a whole gain)
toothpicks

Directions:
Place the turkey, cilantro and corn into two pieces of lettuce, roll and secure with toothpicks.

For the dipping sauce:
In a small bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce, olive oil, and crushed peanuts

Now you have two options, you can drizzle the sauce over the turkey wraps, or use it as a dipping sauce for the wraps.

Other low-carb options at the Thanksgiving table:

Steamed veggies topped with olive oil and rosemary
(Steam a bag of veggies and drizzle olive oil over with rosemary, sea salt and pepper)

Cheddar-Baked ham
(Ingredients: 3 slices of cheddar cheese, 3 slices of baked ham. If brown sugar has already been added to the ham, take pieces from toward the middle, they have the least brown sugar juices soaked in. Top each slice of ham with a slice of cheese.)

Salad! (Almost every dinner table has a salad, and that, you know you can enjoy!)

Dessert: Fresh raspberry "casserole"
(For this one I assume you'll have to take a small container of raspberries to the host's house with a little Splenda sprinkled on top, as well as a single serve of sugar free jello, any flavor. When the pumpkin pie is revealed with the Cool Whip, take some of that Cool Whip for your "casserole". Bottom layer: sugar-free jello, Middle layer: Cool Whip, Top layer: Raspberries and Splenda. If you have any low-carb, sugar-free, or dark chocolate nearby, shave some of it onto the top)

Enjoy your food and remember, when everyone else is feeling stuffed, sleepy and groggy, you are left feeling vital and healthy! Happy Thanksgiving.