How to stay Keto for Thanksgiving: 10 ultimate tips!
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Thanksgiving is approaching in the US and with it lots of questions:
How do you stay Keto or Low Carb for Thanksgiving?
What Keto friendly meals are hiding in the traditional Thanksgiving Menu?
What Keto dish can you bring to Thanksgiving? and
Should you stay Keto for Thanksgiving?
This post will give you 10 Keto Tips for Thanksgiving that will hopefully help with the questions and allow you to prepare and enjoy the holiday with your family and / or friends!
I won’t beat around the bush, so go on and check the Top 10 list with details below that include recipe ideas, favorite products, best substitutions and MY thanks to you!
Click on the header to jump straigt to a tip or scroll through!
Volunteer to host Thanksgiving dinner
Ask for the menu and what people are bringing to Thanksgiving dinner
Share what you’ll bring AFTER having seen the menu
See Keto friendly alternatives rather than restrictions
Use Keto or Low Carb labeled products with pride
Buy from Keto friendly stores or get ready-made meals
Watch the portions. Calories matter on Keto too!
Don’t forget to plan for Keto friendly drinks
No need to share that you eat Keto or Low Carb
Cut yourself some slack - it’s ONE day but BEWARE!
1. Volunteer to host Thanksgiving dinner
The easiest way to navigate Keto style Thanksgiving is to volunteer to host. Yes, that means you have more prep work and clean up to do BUT you also get to make sure that at least one dish per course is Keto friendly and to your liking!
If volunteering to host is not an option as it would break tradition, cause an outrage with your family or friends or you don’t have the room, move to Tips 2 and 3!
2. Ask for the menu and what people are bringing to Thanksgiving Dinner
Being prepared is the first step to prepare for any holiday. By knowing what everyone is bringing you can start to disect what dish will work for you and whether there are any parts of the dinner where you risk having no Keto friendly options.
Let’s break a somewhat traditional dinner down real quick:
Appetizers: These will vary the most from gathering to gathering. If someone brings salad, you’re solid and might want to ask if they can keep the dressing on the side. Unfortunately if there’s soup you might need to pass as most recipes call for starch to thicken it up or potatoes which both would not fit your Keto way of eating. Some families also enjoy shrimp cocktail. Take it slow on the sauce and dig in for the shrimps. If someone brings a puff pastry based dish, stay strong and pass! Want to bring your own, check out the picture in Tip 4 that you could replicate with Cut da Carb or other Low Carb tortillas or Crackers like the ones from HighKey . Top them with cream cheese or veggies like cucumber in a greek joghurt sauce or a Keto friendly salsa!
Entrées: Usually the Turkey or Ham will be the star of the show and lucky for you all its part are Keto friendly! So dig in and embrace your inner carnivore.
Sides: Typical other elements of the entrée at Thanksgiving include Gravy (made with starch so a ‘no no’ on Keto. In moderation ok for Low Carb), mashed potatoes (another ‘no no’), some veggies - WIN for green beans, brussel sprouts or asparagus and pie - another ‘no no’.
Dessert: Sorry to break it to you, but except if there’s a cheese platter or a plate of berries, you will most likely not find a Keto friendly dessert at Thanksgiving, EXCEPT if you bring one. Further tips on this to follow below from making your own to using mixes or ordering from a Keto friendly place!
3. Share what you'll bring AFTER having received the full Thanksgiving menu
Why should you wait to share what you’ll bring? Because once you know the menu and what everyone else is bringing you can assess where you might not find Keto friendly options.
Are all the appetizers catering to carbi-vores? Offer to bring one that is Keto friendly.
Are all sides on the high carb side? Suggest bringing a Keto or Low Carb alternative
Want to be able to enjoy desserts with the others? Bring one to share. See Tip 3 for ideas.
4. Adjust your mindset to see Keto friendly alternatives rather than restrictions
Your go to reaction for your first or second or third… Thanksgiving on Keto might be a big sigh but really, it’s not that bad at all.
As you read above, there are elements of the traditional dinner that are fine on Keto - lucky for us the Turkey is all ours and for other dishes there are fantastic recipes out there to ketofy.
Some examples of Keto friendly alternatives:
Mashed potatoes —> Mashed cauliflower rice. Wait! Don’t roll your eyes! If you mash and cook your cauliflower with lots of butter, cream cheese and heavy whipped cream and mix it really well I promise that it will get close to mash potatoes. Add some cheddar on top with bacon bits and place it in the over until the cheese melts and you’ll have loaded mashed cauliflower that will come really close to mashed potatoes
Pigs in a blanket —> These are so easy to make with fathead dough. Grab your favorite recipe. Roll out the dough. Get some wieners. Spread mustard on your dough. Wrap up the wieners. Top off with egg yolk and off into the oven. Delicious!
Bacon wrapped asparagus —> No alternatives needed here. These are delicious and low in carbohydrates as is
Gravy —> You won’t believe it, but yes, there are people who have figured out how to make Gravy without starch and instead using for example almond flour. Google it!
Stuffing —> You might have noticed that in the past 12 months Keto friendly breads have gone mainstream. From being able to buy them at Aldi to Meijers to Costco. What does that mean? That means you can make stuffing with Keto friendly bread! Dry it out, cube it a few days prior to Thanksgiving. Sauté it in a pan with e.g. onion, celery and of course butter. Brown it, season it, add eggs, some chicken (bone) broth and off it goes into a baking dish and the oven to be ready for dinner.
Dessert —> My FAVORITE. To my first Thanksgiving Keto I brought a Keto friendly Mousse au Chocolat - it was a huge hit. To my 2nd I brought a Key Lime Mousse - also super popular. For my third Thanksgiving I opted to bring Panna Cotta in individual glasses - so so good. Plus, to enjoy with coffee after the meal I bring my signature home-made chocolate truffles. These are such a hit that every year I get asked to bring them - I can pick my other dish to bring but the Truffles have to be present and yes, everyone eats the Keto version! Video to follow soon on how to make them.
5. Use Keto labeled or Low Carb substitute products with pride
Not the most talented Chef? Or no time to prepare a Keto friendly dish or any dish really?
You’re in luck. In the past years a TON of Keto friendly baking mixes and substitute products have come out.
First thing first: BISCUITS! Yes, you can have biscuits. I’ve been trying them for my Blog post series where I compare Keto friendly products and although the Biscuits post isn’t ready yet, I already have 2 winners.
If you want Keto friendly biscuits order yourself either the HighKey Biscuit Mix or the Livlo Biscuit Mix . Check out the How To video from either by scrolling down on their Amazon product page!
Thinking more of bringing a dessert? I would advocate for Brownies! My favorite Mixes so far: Livlo - again. Yes! And you can save 10% at checkout on Amazon with code anywhere10. The Keto & Co Brownie mix is amazing too. For that one I do have a discount code :D KETOANYWHERE will give you 10% off at checkout. Keto & Co has a cake and frosting mix too by the way if you prefer the cupcake route!
6. Buy from Keto friendly stores or get ready-made low carb meals
More and more bakeries, stores and restaurants are popping up across the US that cater to Keto and Low Carb dieters.
Check out the Keto Anywhere map with over 1000 recommended bakeries, restaurants and shops and see if there’s one near you where you could stop by and pick up some ready made baked goods or even whole meals!
Can’t find anything? If you plan ahead, you could also order from one of many Keto friendly bakeries across the US. Check out the list of bakeries that ship Keto goods that was compiled earlier this year.
Doesn’t get easier than this and if you check reviews online or what’s been shared with Keto Anywhere you’re almost guaranteed to bring or serve a crowd pleaser at Thanksgiving.
7. Watch the portions. Calories matter on Keto too!
One big danger we might forget with Thanksgiving when we focus mostly on what we can and can not eat is portions. How much we eat! If you’re doing Keto or Low Carb for weightloss excessive calories might put you back as much as excessive carbs.
Digging in with Turkey will be great as the protein will fill you up and if you stick to white pieces, these tend to be lower in calories.
Also, take your time eating. Dinner is not a race. Try to be mindful when chewing - meaning you actually pay attention to what’s in your mouth. Texture, taste, level of salt and chew it thoroughly. These kind of habits will make you slow down which gives your body time to signal when it’s full and will usually lead to you not overeating.
8. Don't forget to plan for Keto friendly Drinks
Thanksgiving - while having a major focus on food - also leads to a bit of drinking in most families and circles of friends.
Best bet here is definitely to bring your own drink.
If you want to live it up, gift the host a bottle of Champagne - comes in at 3-4g carbs per glass - and mentioned how you cooled it already so that you could all drink to the occasion. Or if you prefer to keep it lower key you could bring some low carb beer like Miller Lite or a dry red wine that tends to also be lower in carbs.
Hard liquors are also Keto friendly but if it’s not customary in your family or with your friends to drink the hard stuff I would not bring that. And please! Don’t drink and drive!
9. You don't have to share that you eat Keto or Low Carb or that the dish you brought is low in carbs
Chances are your loved ones know that you changed your diet BUT if eating Keto or Low Carb is a recent choice and you’re not quite ready to share it with the wider world, don’t forget that you don’t have to talk about your way of eating. If you are fearing judgement from people remember that this is your choices and there is no need to ‘defend’ it,
Politely decline certain dishes and use little phrases like “that turkey looks so amazing that I want to make sure I enjoy as much from it as I can” or “ INSERT CARBY FOOD always makes me feel tired after which would be a shame if we want to watch the football game later”.
As for the dish you brought: Again, no need to mention it is low in carbs. It can actually be quite fun not to say anything to see how people react. Especially for desserts.
10. Cut yourself some slack
If you’ve been eating Keto for a while you’ve proven that you have the willpower to stick to it. And possibly also get back to it. One day out of 365 (or maybe 2-3 days if you also want to make exceptions on your birthday and the year end holidays) will not break your progress as long as you get back to it right after.
From my own personal experience though, if you’ve been eating Keto for 6+ months I would not recommend going completely off it. Why? Because your body might rebel. In the moment you might be fine eating it all but it might come back with a vengence after a few hours with cramps and possibly more.
I made that painful mistake after about 4 months on Keto when I decided to order Ribs with sauce and enjoy some fries and bread and boy, did I pay for that. I was sick for 3 days and felt absolutely miserable. It was a great lesson to learn though to eat carbs in moderation once your body has gotten used to a low carb way of eating and digesting.
Happy Keto Thanksgiving!
Do you have further tips that you feel should have made the list? Please add them in the comments below. Anything to make Thanksgiving easier for people eating Keto or Low Carb.
On that note, I already wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you get to spend it with your loved ones and enjoy it in whichever shape or form it looks like this year.
Thanksgiving is not just about eating and drinking. It’s about being thankful so allow me to leave the Keto advice aside for a bit to say:
Thank you for making it to the end of the list ;) Thank you for supporting Keto Anywhere by reading this blog, buying through links, using discount codes, liking / commenting / following / sharing on Social Media, tagging Keto Anywhere in relevant content, watching videos until the end to increase watch time, joining and listening in to Lives, sending ideas via email, buying City Guides, looking into Personal and Business Coaching, using the map and so much more.
I appreciate it highly that you’re helping make the Keto Anywhere vision come true to:
Make the world a Keto friendlier place!
Happy happy Thanksgiving and Keto on!
Céline Bucher
Founder of Keto Anywhere
Picture credits:
Header with Thanksgiving Turkey: Photo by 🇨🇭 Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
1. Volunteer to Host - Set table : Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
2. Ask for the Menu - Waiter with notebook: Photo by Jessie McCall on Unsplash
3. Share what you bring last - Plate with crackers and vegetable toppings: Photo by Sander Dalhuisen on Unsplash
4. Adjust your Mindset - Board with quote: Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🎞 on Unsplash
8. Keto friendly Drinks: Photo by Alexander Naglestad on Unsplash
9. You don’t have to share that you eat Keto: Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
10. Cut yourself some slack: Photo by Persnickety Prints on Unsplash
Thank you: Photo by Kristian Seedorff on Unsplash
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