On Thanksgiving, how many of us will eat a huge turkey dinner with all the fixings, then head to the couch to watch a little football only to fall asleep by halftime? The common belief is that the drowsiness is caused by a chemical in turkey called tryptophan - the basis for the brain chemical which makes people tired. But scientists now say that's not what's really happening. They say the snooziness comes from eating an abundance of carbs and drinking alcohol.
Personally, I don't mind taking a little nap on Thanksgiving. (It gives me added "zzz's" for Black Friday shopping). Even so, this year, I decided to try a low-carb, keto-friendly Thanksgiving. Since Nov. 8, I've been trying the 21-day keto reset inspired by Mark Sisson's bestselling new book, "The Keto Reset Diet," which seeks to change your metabolism from carb or glucose burning to more efficient fat burning. It's achieved through cutting back on starches, and adding more protein and fat to your diet. Since I'm only about a week into the plan, the jury is still out. (Is it a bad sign that I actually dreamed about Hostess cupcakes last night?)
In the meantime, I've been thinking forward to Thanksgiving and how I'll navigate this tricky, carb-laden holiday. I've done some research and found Thanksgiving recipes that are both delicious and low in carbs.
First, I found this recipe for Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic, Butter and Herbs at ifoodblogger.com. Turkey is naturally low in carbs and the butter used in this recipe makes it moist and rich. Top that with Keto Gravy found at ruledme.com.
You can kill two birds with one stone by making Savory Keto Bread from iSaveA2Z.com and use the bread to make a stuffing. The recipe is found on that same site. This stuffing uses the same flavorings (sage, rosemary and thyme) found in traditional stuffing, so the flavor is definitely there and you hardly notice the bread is slightly different.
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I found Green Bean Bundles with Bacon from spendwithpennies.com as good as any green bean casserole I've ever had.
Watch the video I made for a closer look at each dish. Tune in next week where I'll tell you about a great low-carb dessert I found to top off the whole feast.
With this meal, you won't be loaded down with carbs on Thanksgiving Day so you might not feel quite so sluggish. But no one is saying you can't take a nap anyway.
