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

Celebrating Thanksgiving on The Body Ecology Diet

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Holistic nutrition for digestion; specialized in yeast overgrowth.

Originally published on November 14, 2018.

Celebrating Thanksgiving on a restrictive diet is a challenge and The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) is no different. In some ways, this way of eating is even more challenging because B.E.D. also incorporates the principles of 80/20 and food combining. This healing protocol is known to help people return to a greater balance when a yeast, bacterial, or viral overgrowth is present and most stay on this diet for 3-6 months. As wonderful as finding one’s health can feel, the constant act of being attentive to what one eats can feel especially difficult when a holiday feast is before you.

Here I sit knee deep in November remembering my 1st year on B.E.D. celebrating Thanksgiving. The year was 2010 and I’d been on B.E.D. for 2 months and set to head to my family in Cape Cod to be with my brothers, sisters, and mother …. none of whom had diet restrictions! I worried that my kids, ages 3 and 8 would feel left out and teased by the food they could not eat. I, on the other hand felt tough as nails in my discipline and had yet to miss a day of hitting 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, we still had to be careful not to stir a flare-up. My youngest had skin issues that lessened with B.E.D., yet his rash returned at the slightest deviation in eating. I wanted to keep us on the up and up and enjoy our family holiday.

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 Thanksgiving Menu for 2010 ….

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

On the big day, adhere to B.E.D. principles; maybe this year you are mindful as to how high you fill your plate or how you food combine. No fun to have a tummy ache! If you get bloated, try a spoon of cultured vegetable “juice” or Assist digestive enzyme or as seen in photo here is a glass of cranberry seltzer sweetened with stevia to three cheers!!!

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!