5 Ways to Stick to Your Goals This Thanksgiving (Plus, Two Recipes)

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are upon us, bringing with them the promise of delicious food enjoyed in good company.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, enjoy time with loved ones and give thanks—it’s right there in the name. And if you follow a low-carb diet, Thanksgiving dinner also includes satisfying staples like turkey, Brussels sprouts and buttered green beans, to name a few.

Nonetheless, this season can be a tricky time if you want to stick to your health goals. Here are a few tips to enjoy your Thanksgiving, plus two recipes that’ll please a crowd.

1. Prepare for questions about your diet

People will be curious about why you eat the way you do. It sounds silly, but putting together a 30-second spiel about your diet will save you a lot of hassle, especially if your Thanksgiving has a long guest list.

Aunt Jeanine wonders why you’re passing on dinner rolls. Uncle Cal asks you why you don’t want a beer. Cousin Richard’s interested in how you stay in such good shape. Then it’s back to Aunt Jeanine, who had one too many bourbons, forgot about your dinner roll conversation, and is now hurt that you’re skipping her homemade apple pie because it used to be your favorite, and—

You get the point. Stumbling through explanation after explanation about the way you eat gets tedious quickly. (“Well, you start the morning with a blend of coffee, MCT oil and grass-fed butter. No, seriously. I’m not hungry until lunch. It’s called Bulletproof Coffee…”)

When you go against mainstream food and lifestyle recommendations, it tends to make people inquisitive. So, plan a succinct description of your diet. And yes, it can be as simple as, “No, thank you.”

Oh, and be ready for that one relative with all the jokes (“Hey, are those potatoes grass-fed?”). Patience is a virtue.

2. Carry activated charcoal

This tip is the old standby. If you’re going to eat or drink something that’s not too Bulletproof, toss back a few capsules of activated charcoal with it. Charcoal helps with gas relief, and it binds to toxins to help flush them out of your body.

3. Really give thanks

Dishing out gratitude is an easy way to spread happiness and build connections over dinner. When you’re all eating, suggest that everyone go around the table and list something they’re grateful for.

Gratitude is one of the most potent ways you can enhance your well-being. In one study, participants wrote about events for which they were grateful and events that annoyed them over a two-week period.^[1] The researchers observed that people who focused on gratitude reported higher levels of positivity and were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support.

Give gratitude a try! You’ll be grateful you did.

4. Bring a Bulletproof dish

If you’re not cooking for Thanksgiving and you’re concerned about what you’re going to eat, call up your host and offer to bring a dish. It’s a double win: You’ll make their day a little easier, and you’ll ensure that there’s something that fits your macros on the menu.

Here are two tasty options for Thanksgiving fare.

Print Recipe

Bacon Mashed Cauliflower Recipe

If you're following keto, chances are you miss your mashed potatoes. Fret not; our bacon mashed cauliflower recipe is the side you need!

https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/bulletproof-diet/5-ways-to-hack-your-thanksgiving-plus-bulletproof-pumpkin-pie/

Prep3 minutes

Cook17 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Servings4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower , large, cut into florets
• 4 tbsp Grass-Fed Ghee or grass-fed unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil
• ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ pound pastured, preservative-free bacon , lightly cooked at medium-low (not crispy — keep those fats intact), diced
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Steam the cauliflower until tender (about 15 minutes), drain
• In a blender, blend ¾ of the cauliflower with all other ingredients
• Stir in the bacon, pulse until chunky
• For amazing flavor, add 1-2 tbsp of the bacon grease
• Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

• Servings: 1
• Calories: 537
• Fat: 43.7 g
• Protein: 25.2 g
• Fiber: 5.3 g
• Sugar: 5.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 12 g
• Net Carbs: 7 g

Print Recipe

No-Bake Keto Pumpkin Pie

A holiday classic with a no-bake spin: This keto pumpkin pie has creamy and sweet flavor with no eggs, sugar, gluten, or dairy.

https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/bulletproof-diet/5-ways-to-hack-your-thanksgiving-plus-bulletproof-pumpkin-pie/

Total Time1 hour

Servings8 slices

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 3 cups desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 2 tbsp Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil (or 1 tbsp melted Bulletproof Grass-Fed Ghee)
• 1 tbsp granulated sweetener, such as non-GMO erythritol or birch xylitol

Pumpkin Filling

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ cup coconut cream
• 1 scoop Bulletproof Collagelatin
• ¼ cup water
• 15 oz canned pumpkin puree (BPA-free) (or steamed pumpkin)
• 3 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tbsp Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener

Instructions

• Prepare crust first. In a food processor or high-powered blender, add desiccated coconut and blitz until it becomes very fine. Scrape down the sides of your container as needed.
• Add remaining crust ingredients to your blender and mix again until well incorporated.
• Line a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate with parchment, and press down the mixture with your hands and then with the back of a spoon to get it as packed down as possible. Place in your freezer to set.
• Prepare keto pumpkin pie filling. In a small bowl, mix Collagelatin and water and set aside to bloom for a few minutes.
• In a saucepan on low heat, add coconut cream and the gelled Collagelatin and mix until dissolved and smooth.
• Add the coconut mixture to a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth.
• Remove your pan from the freezer and top with the pumpkin pie base. Refrigerate (or freeze if you’re short on time) until set.
• Serve cold with keto vanilla ice cream or whipped coconut cream.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 354
• Fat: 33 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fiber: 7 g
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sugar Alcohols: 6 g
• Carbohydrates: 19 g
• Net Carbs: 6 g
• Sodium: 34 mg

Show up with one or both of these dishes and you’re set. Be prepared for them to go quickly.

5. Eat whatever you want

Seriously. Go off the rails. Your diet is a spectrum, not a series of absolutes. If all of your mental energy is directed at feelings of “temptation” or stressing about food, you’ll miss out on the whole point of the holidays: spending time with loved ones and reflecting on what makes you happy.

Fair warning: if you have a big presentation or other important event in the days after Thanksgiving, you may want to skip the junk food. If you go off the rails, you might not feel like your usual sharp self for a few days, until your body processes everything you ate and gets itself back on track.

For more ways to stick to your health goals over the holidays, check out 7 tips for a Bulletproof holiday season.