I know because Ive tried it.
Can you imagine the humiliation of being a food writer whose Thanksgiving dish was less popular thanturnips?
I remember feeling annoyed that so few people even wanted to try it.
Ellie Baygulov/Stocksy/Adobe Stock
I tried to make healthy swaps a thing for a few more Thanksgivings.
Heck, I even wrote some healthier Thanksgiving recipes.
Was it worth the trouble?
What was the difference?
And was it really the healthier move?
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became that myrelationship with foodmaybe wasnt all that healthy.
Its one thing to realize that this kind of diet culture thinking isnt good.
Its another thing to actually step away from it, which I finally started to do in 2015.
I wasnt sure where to start, but Thanksgiving seemed like as good a time as any.
I made a double batch and watched as the little sweet potato boats disappeared from their serving dish.
I followed it up with pumpkin pie, apple pie, and whipped cream.
And that was that.
But also, it was so, so different.
Turns out, both of them had had similar experiences.
Everything they teach you is about how to enjoy your favorite foods, but with a healthy twist.
Eventually, this got tiresome.
Whenever I would have a go at healthify recipes, they just wouldnt taste as good, Chan says.
I would never feel satisfied, I would just feel really let down.
Of course, it didnt.
Instead, it left me wanting.
When youre doing a lot of healthy swapping, thats normal, Chan says.
Youre not getting the same satisfaction and enjoyment out of it.
And when youre unsatisfied, you give a shot to overcompensate by eating more.
Theres an emotional dissatisfaction that comes with healthifyingholiday foodstoo.
And then I ask who loves pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, and almost everyone raises their hand.
Its not that youre eating the food, its that youre experiencing the food.
My family has always been a food-focused one.
In the first memories, food was a purely happy experience.
In the latter ones, it was isolating and emotionally draining.
Some people might make healthy swaps at Thanksgiving, or any other time, and really enjoy them.
Thats great, and just more proof that food means different things to all of us.
Not because I enjoyed making, serving, or eating them.
Theres a difference between being excited about the food (which I am now!)
and being anxious about it (which I used to be!).
Food used to trigger a sense of vigilance in me, particularly at Thanksgiving.
Now, cooking (and eating) is a way to relax.
Youll leave the table feeling so much happier.
