The Day After

Now that I've woken up from my turkey-induced nap, I want to respond to a comment Elissa made in response to my "healthy holiday eating strategy" post. Here's what she said:

 

"I don't know why people have to suck the fun out of Thanksgiving by giving us the calorie count of everything that we could possibly stick in our mouths. I understand that this was made so that people would be aware of what they're eating, but still... Thanksgiving is just one of those days where I don't care about diets and whatnot, and I eat what I like. I don't go crazy, but I enjoy every bite and I don't think about counting the calories. It's just one day. How much can it hurt?"

 

Elissa, I want you to know that I completely agree with you and I really appreciate you making that point. Holidays -- especially those during which we gather with family and friends we rarely see -- shouldn't be about counting calories. Who wants to be so worried about what we're going to eat next that we can't pay attention to what our beloved grandma or toddler nephew is saying?

 

However -- come on, you knew there was a however coming -- nutritional information on our favorite holiday foods is valuable because it helps those trying to lose or maintain weight to keep an eye on the big picture. It was my turn to host Thanksgiving this year and even after I'd packaged up leftovers for my guests, I was still left with a colossal amount of food -- especially desserts, since many of my guests brought a dessert with them. Because I'd just had that buzz-kill reminder from Melissa of exactly how much damage could be wrought by desserts, I declared the next day "trash day." Even though I could hear my mother's voice in my head -- "What? You're throwing away perfectly good food?" -- I did it knowing that it was the healthiest option for my family.

 

My strategy? After a dinner of leftovers, I wrapped the cooked turkey in packages to use in dinners throughout the month -- it's great protein! The brownies were cut into small pieces, packaged individually and frozen -- they're great lunchbox treats for the kids. The pumpkin pie (also known as my personal nemesis)? Sadly, that had to go. I dumped it in the trash -- and, yes, I covered it with all sorts of disgusting trash items.

 

My point -- and I do have one -- is that I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my extended family and didn't worry about what or how much I was eating that day. But the day after? As I sorted through my leftovers, I reflected on Melissa's nutritional information and used that to remind myself that it's not a crime to get tempting leftovers out of the house.

 

I hope you all enjoyed a blessed and happy Thanksgiving -- with no calorie counting!

Comments

[Sagan]

I actually disagree about the nutrition info- I think that we as consumers have a right to know whats in our food, and if we don't want to know then we don't have to look.

As for dealing with leftovers, my family always divides them up among everyone who was over for the holiday meal. That way we all get a little treat afterward but none of us gorge ourselves. Another way to deal with it, rather than just toss it, is to put it carefully wrapped right beside a dumpster- and that way the homeless people can find it without it being spoiled.

[Alyssa]

I also think the nutritional info is good-for those who want it. For others, those who are recovering from an ED, for example, too much information can be dangerous. So, making it available but not in an in-your-face kind of way seems like a good compromise. (I actually did NOT read your pre-Thanksgiving post, because I knew it was dangerous ground for me. That doesn't mean it wasn't helpful for others.)
There's something I learned from Intuitive Eating that stays with me: we always think of throwing food away as wasting it, but eating more than we need/want is ALSO a waste. And it's the kind of waste that can be bad for our health.
I love the idea of donating the food, if that's possible. And Sagan's methods are terrific!

[Alyssa]

BTW, LOVE the new photo!!!!!

[Dara Chadwick]

Thanks, Sagan and Alyssa! I love Sagan's idea of donating leftovers, too, if that's a possibility.

And, Alyssa, I agree about eating too much being a special kind of waste, too.