Have a Happy Paleo Christmas Dinner

With next the big feast of Christmas Dinner right around the corner we teamed up with our friends from Champion Naturals to bring you a few ways to keep your Christmas dinner healthy with these Paleo twist!

The Paleolithic diet (abbreviated “Paleo” for short) is a relatively simple concept. Proponents of this diet maintain that human physiology hasn't changed much since the days of our early ancestors, right before the dawn of the agrarian age.

 The idea is that eating the foods that we were able to hunt, gather or otherwise scrounge during our days as hunter-gatherers will help us avoid many of the diseases and other downsides to our modern age of largess, plenty and over-indulgence. While the science upon which the evolutionary assumptions used to develop the Paleo diet are contentious and somewhat flawed, the general idea is pretty sound.

Paleo Diet Main Ideas:

• Avoid processed meats and (where possible), consume only grass-fed or truly wild game
• Choose roots, seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables over processed grains, legumes or potatoes
• Avoid dairy products and processed oils

That’s because (especially in the west) our diets are packed with unhealthy fats, processed meats, and hormone-fed livestock, pesticides and genetically altered grains – not all of which can be benign. So in addition to getting a healthy bout of winter exercise with your Thanksgiving dinner, try the following suggestions to serve a more healthy meal!

Turkey instead of Ham

In this case, the traditional dish has it right. With very few exceptions, ham (though delicious) is packed with extra salts and preservatives. It’s also way less healthy than a nice, roasted turkey – and that’s roasted, not fried. Nice try.

Note: while there are overlaps with “raw” food diets and Paleo, most proponents of Paleo eating are okay with cooking your food. To take full advantage of this, surround your turkey with diced vegetables; the more the merrier!

Stuffing the Paleo Way

Stuffing is traditionally made with bread. Bread is traditionally made with flour, and flour is traditionally made from grains. This makes it a no-no when it comes to Paleo. But what’s Christmas without stuffing?

Probably possible, but we wouldn’t recommend it. Here’s a recipe from www.agirlworthsaving.net on how to make a cornbread stuffing … without the bread (hint – use coconut flour instead of regular flour).

Alternatively, skip the stuffing and go straight for the Sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes However You Like Them

Some people might stop right here and wonder whether or not Sweet potatoes are on the Paleo menu. Personally, we think they should be – as they’re most definitely a root. In fact, if you really wanted to get down to brass tacks, all potatoes are Paleo in that they’re also roots. However, the cultivation of white potatoes as well as the difference in nutritional value (and a few other issues) makes them imperfect when it comes to the Paleo diet.

You’re welcome to do your own research regarding Sweet Potatoes and other types of potato in general. But for us, the risks outweigh the benefits. If you’re still on the fence, ask any weightlifter about sweet potatoes. They’re more than likely to tell you that they’re an excellent source of healthy carbs and many other nutrients – unlike the nearly-empty carbohydrates you’ll get from the regular old “Idaho” variety.

To stick with the general idea, though avoid things like sweet potato casserole and just bake or roast your potatoes. Roasted, mix them in with a big pan of baby carrots and diced onions. Delicious!

Green Beans, Squash & Raw Veggies

Another great form of Paleo nutrition and protein, Green Beans are especially easy to prepare if you don’t lump them into an unhealthy casserole. (Author’s note: Green Bean Casserole is delicious) Another great side to add color to your Paleo table is green and yellow squash. Just slice and cover in a microwave-safe bowl with a little black pepper on top.

As far as raw veggies go, you can always start with a bowl of salad before the main course and during the meal, put out a plate of raw, sliced tomatoes. Depending on how strict you’re being (if you’ve a large gathering, I don’t recommend forcing others to conform to your dietary quirks) you can add a little salt and pepper to your ‘maters – like my grandfather used to!

The other good news: Cranberries can be made into natural, Paleo or nearly-raw recipes, but there’s a whole lot of prep-time involved. You’re better off just opting for the “natural” cranberry sauce from your local natural foods store (and have a bowl of the can-shaped stuff ready for the kiddies).

Dessert

“Diet” and “Dessert” start with the same letter, but that’s about it. Mostly, this is because of the sugar. Some proponents of Paleo diets consider chocolate to be a Paleo-friendly food, others don’t. You can serve sliced dark chocolate, but that’s going to leave some of your guests feeling peckish.

For the truly serious and/or adventurous, offer sliced apples or pomegranates – they’re unbelievably nutritious and help with digestion as well. Or, alternatively, you can just ask other people to bring the dessert – after all, it’s not cheating if you didn’t make it yourself, right?

Have a Merry Christmas from all of us here at 4X Nutrition and Champion Naturals!

Til Next time,

Mikie