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This holiday was originally created to give thanks for the preceding year and the blessing of the harvest. Its told that Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe helped the pilgrims at Plymouth, present-day Massachusetts, survive their first year in the Americas. So in the Autumn of 1621, a celebration took place with a holiday feast. Then, a tradition was born and the celebration carried on year after year.
A holiday celebrating gratitude What a great concept! However, we have moved away from its original tradition. It seems that nowadays we have equated this holiday with a day of just feasting without celebrating its true meaning. It has become a day of overindulgence, sometimes to the point of bingeing without even reflecting about all we have to be thankful for.
For some, it is a day of lethargy, with many laying on the couch or watching television. Not to mention, a day of family drama. And not just drama but outright chaos Its known to be a very hectic day for law enforcement personnel. Maybe this year, we can celebrate Thanksgiving as it was originally intended.
This year, lets celebrate Thanksgiving in a healthy way, with the right attitude! Thanksgiving commemorates gratefulness. Lets express our appreciation for all we have, and enjoy a healthy delicious meal and the presence of our loved ones!!
HEALTHY THANKSGIVING
The Food
Since Thanksgiving for most of us is meal-focused, it is important to keep healthy eating in the forefront. By now you may be aware that most commercial foods are not only far from nutritious, but even toxic. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to read labels and eat clean food as much as possible in order to avoid adding toxic compounds into your body.
Here are a few tips:
Fruits and vegetables should be organic as much as possible.
Vegetables and salads should be part of your daily regimen.
For the Turkey eaters: Keep in mind that the healthiest and tastiest turkeys have a 100% organic non-GMO feed, are free-range, as well as free of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, preservatives, and pesticides.
Stay away from soda and commercial juices.
Do not forget to drink at least 3 liters of water.
Roasted turkey garnished with cranberries on a rustic style table decoraded with pumpkins, gourds, asparagus, brussel sprouts, baked vegetables, pie, flowers, and candles.
Its not all about the Food!
It is important to reiterate that in order to celebrate Thanksgiving in a healthy manner, the approach should be holistic. In addition of taking care of your body, you should keep your mind and spirit positively engaged. Gratitude should be the underlying theme of the celebration, along with healthy interactions.
The ideal is to stay away from negativity as much as possible and enjoy the opportunity to have a united meal. It seems that a great majority of Americans report conflictive interactions at the Thanksgiving dinner table, which sometimes appears like a battlefield.
For the purpose of embracing the meaning of Thanksgiving day, it is essential to focus on the positives. This approach can change interaction dynamics.
These are a few ideas for your Thanksgiving celebration:
The Atmosphere: Place little elegant cards around the house, embracing Thanksgiving themes like Remaining Thankful, Leaving the Negativity Outside, Being Grateful, Blessed, Cherishing the Moment, Sweet as Pie. It may seem silly but this simple move can raise the guests awareness and stir them in the right direction towards a drama-free Thanksgiving meal!
Being Thankful: Ask each member to mention things that they are grateful for.
List the Positives: Ask each member at the table to mention positive qualities about the person to their left and their right.
Redirect: When hot touchy topics arise, jokingly remind them that grandmothers always said that politics, religion, or money were impolite subjects at the dinner table.
Introduce Positive Games and Topics: Keeping guests positively engaged and active deters inactivity. Generally, people are over-stuffed and almost ready to suffer a diabetic coma due to sugar spikes from feasting. So, a little movement after dinner is always welcome and highly beneficial.
Donate: While remaining grateful, it is always great to extend our help to others. Donate to a non-profit organization. You can even be more proactive and pass a hat around asking your guests if they would like to donate to a charity of their choice.
Having the right focus during this Thanksgiving can make it a wholesome and wonderful one. Besides enjoying a delicious healthy meal and keeping engaged, this holiday can nurture your body and mind, as well as your relationships. Lets demonstrate and experience the real tradition of Thanksgiving!!!
