How to Make Your Thanksgiving Meal More Alkaline

The holidays are most often an excuse to overindulge or neglect your diet, but they don’t have to be. Perhaps you’re dedicated to or interested in keeping your alkaline-acid balance as close to 80/20 as possible, or your family has dietary restrictions due to diabetes or high blood pressure, or your son is bringing a vegetarian to dinner.

Whatever the case may be, choosing to prepare and serve holiday meals which are more nutritious and less acidic is the best choice you can make for you and your family. Here we will offer some suggestions as to alternatives or modifications to the traditional Thanksgiving meal. We hope that you will be inspired to try something new or to create your own, healthier, more alkaline dishes.

Beverages

In general it’s best to drink as little as possible of ANY beverage with meals in order to not dilute your food and to better absorb its nutrients.

The healthiest, most alkaline beverage you can consume is Chanson ionized alkaline water. However, because your stomach uses its acids to break down the food you digest, it’s best not to drink more than four ounces of alkaline ionized water with meals or too close to your meal time. Therefore we recommend waiting one hour before and after meals before drinking alkaline ionized water, and serving purified water from a Chanson ionizer with meals if drinking more than four ounces. Bottled water is often acidic and plain tap water is filled with toxins and contaminants and should thus be avoided.

Instead of alcohol, you may want to try Martha Stewart’s non-alcoholic Ginger Beer. Sugar can be replaced with stevia or agave nectar, which are both natural sweeteners. You can also try adding slices of lime and lemon to make it more alkalizing. Ginger has long been used to settle upset stomachs, so it may help in the event that some of your guests overeat all of your yummy food! Because this drink is non-alcoholic, it may be a good alternative to sodas for children (although you may want to use less ginger so that it’s more palatable). It takes 32 glasses of alkaline water to offset the damaging acidity of one glass of soda, therefore soda should be avoided at all costs. Diet sodas aren’t any better and contain artificial sweeteners with carcinogenic ingredients.

Instead of cow’s milk, try almond milk. Despite the widespread belief that the calcium in cow’s milk is necessary for building strong bones, studies show a link between high milk consumption and osteoporosis! Cow’s milk is acidic, and instead of absorbing the calcium in it, your body literally robs its bones of minerals to offset the acidity! Alternatives like goat’s milk, soy milk, rice milk and almond milk are all preferred, however almond milk is most alkaline. You can find original, vanilla and chocolate almond milk at your grocery or health food store, or might want to try making your own Vanilla Almond Milk.

Instead of unnatural fruit juices and punch, try preparing fresh-squeezed lemonade sweetened with stevia or agave nectar. Adults and kids alike might also enjoy Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice (can substitute stevia or agave nectar for honey, and cut out or reduce pineapple juice which is acidic). Another simple yet festive alternative would be fresh carrot juice, which you can make with your own juicer.

If alcohol must be served, try limiting it to red wine, well known for its antioxidant properties.

Starters

It’s best to start your holiday meal with a salad course followed by a soup course. This will allow your body to absorb the nutrients in the salad’s raw vegetables and fruits, while simultaneously filling you up so that you don’t overindulge on the main course and desserts. It’s important to soak all fruits and vegetables8.0-8.5 pH Chanson ionized water to remove pesticides and to enhance flavor, and to buy organic if possible.

Some salads you might consider serving are: Energise for Life’s Alkaline Quinoa Salad W/Avocado, Poor Girl Eats Well’s Red Quinoa & Broccoli Salad with Almond Honey Vinaigrette, or your favorite salad with this lemon-based Alkaline Salad Dressing.

These soup recipes caught our eye: Martha Stewart’s Vegan Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Delish’s Ginger-Pumpkin Soup (substitue vegetable broth for vegetarians or to increase alkalinity) and Energise for Life’s Alkaline Pistou Soup (similar to ministrone). If you have a favorite vegetable soup recipe, that would certainly be a better alternative to canned, processed soups which are high in sodium and preservatives.

Sides

When preparing sides remember it’s important not use margarines as they are completely artificial and very acidifying.

Instead of serving traditional stuffing which tends to be high in carbohydrates, sodium and fat, consider these alternatives: Fall Apple Cranberry Stuffing (raw) or Rice and Nut Stuffing (can substitute quinoa for rice and almonds for pine nuts).

Instead of traditional mashed potatoes loaded with animal fat gravy, try using vegetable broth to make your own gravy or consider going gravy-free with either Herbed Mashed Potatoes or Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”.

As an alternative to green bean casserole loaded with fat and sodium, we suggest Gaby’s Spicy Garlic Green Beans or sauteed green beans squirted with lemon juice.

Forgo canned cranberry sauce which is high in sugar and preservatives and opt for Sugar Free Cranberry Chutney instead (use natural instead of artificial sweetener and consider adding nuts). Keep in mind that cranberries are acidic, so you only want to have a small portion.

Get more vegetables on everyone’s plate with Energise for Life’s Roasted Artichokes with Lemon Oil Dip or AllRecipes.com’s Grilled Asparagus (use sea salt and squeeze lemon on top if desired).

Main Dishes

We know, we know. Turkey is the main staple to a traditional Thanksgiving meal and everyone expects it to be served. But what if we told you that turkeys (along with chickens) don’t urinate, and that their urine is absorbed into their fleshy tissue (read: the meat you eat) instead? Willing to reconsider now? The truth is that all animal products are acidic and forgoing the bird is the best way to have a cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, alkaline holiday.

Top choices for alternative main dishes include: Alkaline Living’s Tofu Turkey, Martha Stewart’s Wild-Rice Stuffed Squash or Martha Stewart’s Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash.

Desserts

Just because you’re trying to eat healthier and more alkaline doesn’t mean you have to skip dessert!

Put a twist on traditional pies with The Acid Alkaline Diet’s Pumpkin Pie or Live Apple Pie or try something more original like this Zesty Lemon Kuzu Dessert, raw vegan Rawberry Cheezecake or Pumpkin Soft Serve “Ice Cream”.

We wish you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season. Don’t hesitate to tell friends and family about the difference Chanson alkaline water has made in your life!

DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that not all ingredients in the recipes listed above are alkaline, and that not all experts agree on which foods are alkaline and which aren’t. The owners and affiliates of Chanson Water USA have not personally tested the recipes listed above but have deemed them to be mostly alkaline and better alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving fare.