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What do you eat on Thanksgiving?

Michelle May

What-do-you-eat

I usually avoid answering answering the question, “What do you eat?” since mindful eating isn’t about what I eat! But today, I’m sharing 48 hours of typical Thanksgiving eating in the hopes it helps you focus on your own decision-making.

What How I Eat on Thanksgiving

Because I write and speak about fearless eating and mindful eating, people often ask me what I eat. I usually just say I eat what I love and love what I eat!

I’m not trying to be evasive. It’s just that my job isn’t to tell you what to eat, but to help you become the expert in yourself!

In other words, the answer to the question, “What do you eat, Michelle?” isn’t really about what I eat, but how I make decisions about what I eat.

Since the holidays can be such a challenge for many people, I’m sharing an example of what I might eat during the 48 hours around Thanksgiving and my thought process around these decisions. The food I eat isn’t what matters here; it’s more about why I choose what I do.

48 hours of what I eat around Thanksgiving

The day before Thanksgiving is a Wednesday, so I have pickleball practice in the morning. I’m not hungry yet, so I’ll grab a cup of black coffee and head out the door.

When I get back after a couple hours of pickleball I’m definitely hungry, so I make my usual breakfast. These days, that’s often scrambled eggs with either sautéed veggies (onions and peppers) or leftover roasted vegetables from dinner the night before. I often put a little shredded Irish cheddar or avocado on top with another cup of coffee.

(The funny thing is that, as I often tell my clients, your eating and activity will change over time. When I wrote the original version of this article 13 years ago, I wrote that I ate yogurt, high fiber cereal, and fresh fruit, coffee with skim milk and a non-nutritive sweetener, then went to my favorite yoga class. Of course, I still like yoga, but the pandemic introduced me to YouTube yoga.)

When I get hungry again, I’ll make something yummy and satisfying like a Panini or a Southwestern salad (greens, black beans, shredded cheese, salsa, and a few tortilla chips crumbled over the top). I might have walnuts and dried cherries for an afternoon snack; not only are walnuts are a good source of omega 3’s, they remind me of holiday baking with my grandmother.

We might pick up pizzas from our favorite local place for Wednesday’s dinner because it’s easy and delicious. I typically eat two or three three slices, depending how hungry I am and how big they are. (When it’s great pizza, I don’t mind feeling a little full when I’m done—a “6” on the Hunger and Fullness Scale for those who’ve read Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat—but I don’t like to feel stuffed.)

On Thanksgiving morning, we have a family tradition to go hiking near our home in Phoenix. November is beautiful and we have the largest urban trail system in the country. It’s a great time to catch up with my adult “kids” and get a little movement in.

When we get home, we’ll eat a late breakfast that won’t mess up the kitchen too much since we have cooking to do. Avocado toast or chilaquiles are filling enough to last until mid-afternoon when we typically eat dinner. Then we all pitch in to prepare our contributions to the meals with the Macy’s Day Parade and It’s a Wonderful Life playing in the background.

The first of the two Thanksgiving meals we usually attend is around 3:00. By the time we arrive, I’ll be hungry (a “3” on the Hunger and Fullness Scale). Although there will be a lovely veggie tray and other snacks out, I’ll have only a few bites to avoid filling up before the main event I’ve been looking forward to!

I keep myself busy helping set the tables and setting up the buffet (which also gives me a chance to check out all the options). We have a big family and everyone brings their specialties, so I get to be very choosy about what I’ll eat. (For example, no mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows for me, but I love Roasted Root Vegetables!).

By the time everything is ready and we’ve given thanks, I’ll be around a “2.” (Being a “1” is a little riskier, but I just remind myself that being really hungry means I need to eat soon, not more than usual.)

I always try to set my intention before I eat. My favorite intention is to feel better when I’m done than I did when I started, so I’ll probably aim for a “7” since there are a lot of foods I really enjoy but rarely make at other times. (But I could make green bean casserole in July, so there’s no reason to stuff myself with it today and feel miserable!)

I set myself up near the end of the serving line. This gives me a chance to chat with people that I don’t often get to see. By the time it’s finally my turn to serve myself, I know exactly what I want to try.

I usually skip the roll and butter, the fruit salad, and the relish tray since those feel ordinary and I can have them any time. There are two different kinds of stuffing, so I take some of each to decide which I prefer. I take a little turkey (I like white meat as long as it’s moist), but pass on the cranberry sauce if it’s shaped like a can. (My husband, Chef Owen, makes awesome homemade spicy cranberry sauce with orange zest and a little habenero chilis, so I never skip that.)

Then I zero in on the green bean casserole and mashed potatoes and gravy, two of my favorites.

Since I usually end up with more than I intended (it’s hard when there’s so much to choose from!), I eat mindfully—slowly and attentively. I’ll taste everything I took, leave what I don’t love, and maybe even have seconds of what I love if I have room. Though I was raised to never waste food, I no longer have qualms about leaving food on my plate since eating food I don’t like or don’t need is a waste.

I might sample a few bites of my husband’s pie if it looks good. Even though I’m full, I still feel good and I don’t want to spend the afternoon sprawled out on the couch complaining!

Besides, we’re headed to another gathering in a couple of hours so we’ll arrive just in time for dessert!

That does it for me on Thursday. Friday will be back to normal—except I get to have Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch—and they are often even better than the first time around!

What do you eat? And more important, how do you decide what to eat?

This article has been updated from a previous version.

If this article was helpful, here are three more with tips for handling holiday eating:

Not Another “How to Cut 300 Calories from Your Thanksgiving Dinner” Article

Holiday Eating Challenges

Three Ways to Handle Triggers for Holiday Overeating

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