Thanksgiving is my absolute favourite holiday. The perfect crisp fall weather, family gatherings, and of course, delicious food. If you’re on the keto diet, you may be nervous about what you can eat over the holidays, but rest assured that you can still enjoy a mouthwatering keto Thanksgiving! There are plenty of keto Thanksgiving recipes you can indulge in while keeping your diet on track. If you have the determination and power to stick with it, you’ll get through the holiday with ease! Check out these ketogenic Thanksgiving recipes for a guilt-free holiday!
What is the Keto Diet?
If you’re not familiar with the keto diet, allow me to introduce you. One of the most talked-about diets right now, the keto diet is a high fat, low carb diet that helps your body burn fat instead of glucose. You’re aiming to get your body into a state called ketosis, a natural process that helps us survive when food intake is low. During ketosis we produce ketones in the liver to be used as energy and fuel throughout the body, including the brain.
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On the keto diet, your body is fuelled almost entirely on fat, which helps you lose weight. It also has many other benefits including boosting your mental alertness, decreasing inflammation, increasing energy, and minimizing diseases such as heart disease, cancer and migraines.
How to Get Started on the Keto Diet
If you want to be successful on the keto diet, there are a few things you should do before you get started.
1. Know Your Motivation
Many people fail at diets because they forget their motivation or their “why” isn’t strong enough. Dig deep to figure out why you need the keto diet in your life and how it will change your life for the better. When you know your why, it will be much easier to stick to the diet when times get tough.
2. Do Your Research
You also want to make sure you know exactly what the keto diet is. Learn about ketosis and what is does to your body and how it leads to all of its benefits. Once you understand how it works, it will be easier to remember what you can and can’t eat.
3. Purge Your Fridge and Cupboards
Get rid of any food and drinks in your house that aren’t keto-friendly. Out of sight, out of mind! It’s much easier not to give into temptation when there’s no bad-for-you food around, so do yourself a favour and do a purge!
4. Fill Your Fridge with Keto-Approved Foods
Check out the list in this post of what you can and can’t eat on the keto diet so you know what you can fill your fridge and cupboards back up with! Then you can start creating keto recipes!
5. Meal Plan
Creating and sticking to a weekly meal plan is a great way to maintain your healthy eating and weight loss goals, and if you find it challenging to figure out what to eat (and when to eat it) while on the keto diet, Tasteaholics offers weekly meal plans delivered straight to your inbox. Sign-up for your free 7-day trial HERE.
4 Tips for Staying Keto over the Holidays
Staying keto over the holidays isn’t always easy, especially if you’re eating meals at your friends’ and family’s homes. But nothing is impossible, especially if you have will power! Check out these tips to help you through the holiday season.
1. Stick to Meat and Low Carb Vegetables
The great thing about the keto diet is you can still eat meat, which is the star of Thanksgiving feasts! Focus your attention on meat and low carb vegetables to fill you up and you won’t even be hungry for all the bad-for-you stuff!
2. Skip Stuffing, Bread, and High Carb/Sugar Desserts
Pass on the stuffing, don’t reach for the bread and don’t even think about looking over at the dessert table (unless you know there’s a keto dessert, of course!). Think about the fact that you only have to say “no” for a few hours. Once you’ve gotten through dinner and dessert you’re in the clear, and you’ll be so proud of yourself!
3. Alert the Host
Don’t try to hide the fact that you’re on the keto diet. It will be a lot easier to stick to the keto diet if you alert the host ahead of time so they can make adjustments.
4. Offer a Helping Hand
When it comes to holiday meals, they’re often potluck-style, so make sure to offer to bring something keto and delicious. The more dishes you contribute, the more options you’ll have to choose from.
Now that you know the best tips to staying keto over the holidays, here are 24 keto Thanksgiving recipes to indulge in!
7 Keto Thanksgiving Appetizers
1. Bacon Wrapped Asparagus | Moscato Mom
2. Cheesy Cheddar Bites | Butter is Not a Carb
3. Sausage and Cranberry Stuffed Mushrooms with Sage | Wholesomelicious
4. Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip | Keto Connect
5. Turkey Meatballs | A Healthy Life for Me
6. Low-Carb Zucchini Parmesan Chips | I Save A to Z
7. Best Ever Stuffed Mushrooms | Taste of Home
7 Keto Thanksgiving Side Dishes
1. Cauliflower Stuffing | Delish
2. Bacon Parmesan Green Beans | Six Sisters Stuff
3. Sweet Potato and Kale Gratin | Amelia’s Kitchen
4. Mushroom, Bacon and Cauliflower Casserole | Do You Even Paleo?
5. Sausage and Herb Stuffing | Food Network
5. Low Carb Gravy | Very Well Fit
6. Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce | All Day I Dream About Food
7. Mashed Cauliflower | Mel Joulwan
5 Keto Thanksgiving Mains
1. Simple Herb and Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast | Flavor the Moments
2. Easy Crock-Pot Ham | Practical Stewardship
3. Proscuitto-Wrapped Whole Roasted Beef Tenderloin | I Breathe, I’m Hungry
4. Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken | Meatified
5. Easy Brined Smoked Turkey Breast | My Life Cookbook
5 Keto Thanksgiving Desserts
1. Crustless Low-Carb Pumpkin Pie | Low Carb, So Simple
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars | All Day I Dream About Food
3. Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bites | Keto Connect
4. Maple Walnut Scones | Low Carb Maven
5. Pumpkin Pie Pudding | I Breathe, I’m Hungry
Looking for more Keto-approved recipes?
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You don’t have to feel deprived for keto Thanksgiving! Whip up these recipes and enjoy a guilt-free holiday!
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