Celebrating Thanksgiving on a restrictive diet comes with challenges and being on The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) is no different. This nutritional protocol is used by many people to heal their body from yeast, bacterial, or viral overgrowth and as wonderful as this way of eating is, it does create a need to be attentive to what you will feast on when the holidays do come around.
One trick to having a great day; one where you aren’t slaving over stove or salivating over sweet potato casserole topped with puffy golden marshmallows, is to plan ahead. By thinking ahead, the food part will not be as big of a deal and you can relax, maybe play some football like we do in my family. Just kick back 🙂
Start planning your menu a couple of weeks ahead of time. For anyone who says they don’t have time for such detail … I want to say that when I celebrated my first ‘B.E.D. Thanksgiving’, I had been on stage 1 for two months and was a single working mom with two boys, ages 3 and 8. If I could make our day special, so can you! I know you can.
On the big day, do your best to adhere to the B.E.D. principles. Maybe this year you can be more mindful of how high you fill your plate or how well you can food combine. It is no fun to have a tummy ache on the holiday. If you do get bloated, try a spoon of cultured vegetable “juice” or an Assist digestive enzyme and keep moving.
The menu ideas listed below assume that 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, unless marked with an (*).
Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
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
- Coconut “pudding”
- Lemon pudding or pie
- Spiced chocolate flourless torte*
- Whipped cream* (dairy or non-dairy)
- Coconut roll-out cookies*
- Cinnamon kisses
*These foods are best used sparingly during stage 1 of The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.).
Special note for those traveling for the holiday:
If you are traveling for the holiday, call your host and see what’s already 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 it too hard. One year I brought the turkey and made a green bean stir fry. On the day of, I tossed a salad with dressing and a scoop of cultured vegetables and had a great meal. Another year, I volunteered to make starch-free gravy, shiitake stuffing, and mashed cauliflower. I always bring appetizers because chips ‘n salsa or crackers ‘n cheese don’t work for us. Above all, have fun!
B.E.D. Friendly Pumpkin Pie
Stuff Your Turkey, Not Your Tummy
Body Ecology Support with Tara
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Donna Gates has a delicious Thanksgiving Menu https://bodyecology.com/media/documents/thanksgiving-menu.pdf?idev_id=177
May all bellies be happy!
