Thanksgiving on The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.)

Celebrating Thanksgiving on Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.)

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Nutrition Consultant specialized in helping people regain natural microbiome after yeast, bacterial, and viral infections.

Originally published on November 14, 2018.

Celebrating Thanksgiving on a restrictive diet is a challenge and being on Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) is no different. In some ways, this way of eating is more challenging because it incorporates the principles of 80/20 and food combining. Yet persevere! Many people, including myself, push through and find a greater balance in body, mind, and spirit! You can do this!

As wonderful as feeling better can be, the constant act of being attentive to what one eats can feel even more difficult when a holiday feast is laid before your very eyes and the past memories of chowing down on loved familiar favorites must be denied. Believe me, I understand as I spent a total of three Thanksgiving holidays healing on B.E.D.

Today is November 14th and I sit here remembering my very first year on B.E.D. celebrating Thanksgiving in 2010. I’d been on B.E.D. for 2 months and was set to head to Cape Cod to be with my brothers, sisters, and mom, none of whom had diet restrictions like I did and I worried that my kids, (ages 3 and 8) would feel left out and taunted by the food they could not eat without suffering with digestive discomfort. I worried less for myself as I felt tough as nails in my discipline and had yet to miss a day when I did not hit the “B.E.D. bullseye”.

Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than abundance itself. ~ Rumi

Rather then spiral into the what ifs, I decided to be grateful for how good the boys and I felt by doing B.E.D. When we entered the diet we had awful digestive issues that while had mostly settled still flared if we were not careful. My youngest had skin issues that lessened with B.E.D., yet his rash returned when I deviated in our way of eating. I wanted to keep us on the up and up and enjoy our family holiday! The task for this mother was set before me!! Did I mention I am a single mother?

One trick is to think ahead and plan out the food part so not a big deal and you can relax. Maybe even play a game of football and board games like we do in my family 🙂 I planned our menu a couple weeks ahead ….. to anyone who says they don’t have time for such detail. I am a single working mother. If I can do this, you can too! I know you can. I believe in you.

Our “Body Ecology” Thanksgiving Menu

Pan Roasted Turkey
Grain-Free Stuffing
Green Salad
Cultured Cranberry Relish
Unsalted Cultured Vegetables

I want to say that even though this is a big day of much food, do your best to adhere to B.E.D. principles. Maybe this year you are mindful on how high you fill your plate or you implement the principle, the art!, of food combining. No fun to have a tummy ache on such a special day and so if you get bloated, try a spoon of cultured vegetable “juice” or Assist digestive enzyme or as seen in photo here a glass of cranberry seltzer sweetened with stevia to give cheers for all you do have.

The menu ideas below assume you eat turkey as your main dish; if you are vegetarian than you will want to improvise. Most of what is here is fine for stage 1 of The Body Ecology Diet, unless marked with an (*).

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas on B.E.D. (stage 1)

Beverages

Pellegrino with unsweetened cranberry concentrate, stevia, slice of lime, and splash of young coconut kefir
Pure water
Tea without citric acid (esp. pau d’arco, ujido matcha, ginger, echinacea, kukicha, raspberry leaf)
InnergyBiotic

Appetizers

Artichoke dip with baby carrots and snow peas
Guacamole with cucumber spears and jicama chunks
Meatballs served with toothpicks and pesto
Olives (rinse to remove citric acid)
Deviled eggs

Main Meal

Turkey, free-range and hormone-free (brine for great flavor)
Carrot-ginger soup
Sauteed green beans with shiitakes ‘n garlic
Tossed salad with herb vinaigrette
Grain-free stuffing
Mashed cauliflower

Condiments

Fermented cranberry sauce
Cultured butter
Starch-free gravy (or onion gravy*)
Unsalted cultured vegetables

Dessert

*Foods marked with (*) best used sparingly during stage 1 of B.E.D.

Special note for those traveling for the holiday:

If you travel for the holiday, call your host and see what’s on the menu to see where you can complement dishes. We drive a few hours to be with my sisters and I don’t find that too hard. One year I brought a pasture-raised turkey and green bean stir fry; on the day of, I tossed a salad with dressing and scoop of cultured vegetables and had a great meal. Another year, I made starch-free gravy, shiitake stuffing, and mashed cauliflower. I always bring appetizers so my kids won’t be enticed by the usual chips, salsa, crackers, and cheese. Above all, have fun!