The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

How practicing simple of acts of kindness can help heal our souls and contribute a little happiness to others.

When we think of Thanksgiving, we usually think of getting together with family and eating large and vast quantities of food. As a national holiday, Thanksgiving symbolically represents a celebration of gathering and unity. Over the centuries, Thanksgiving has evolved into a celebration of a beautiful and meaningful sentiment: gratitude.

Contrary to popular belief, the Plymouth story, which our modern day Thanksgiving celebration is modeled after, doesn’t really reflect the original event. As most of us know, almost four hundred years ago, in the year 1621, some Plymouth pilgrims had a few guests drop in -- namely, about 90 Wampanoag Indians, who showed up to share a harvest feast with the 50 or so English colonists. The event helped cement peace to these two groups for more than fifty years.

The Thanksgiving ritual began with the New England colonists who regularly celebrated thanksgiving days of prayer to thank God for their fruitful harvest and military victories. The U.S. Continental Congress declared a national Thanksgiving upon enacting the constitution, but the holiday was a source of controversy, as some states felt it was inappropriate for the government to be involved in religious observance. After Northerners gained influence over most of the federal government, Thanksgiving became an official national holiday.

Nowadays, Thanksgiving has swayed from its Christian roots and has become an inclusive secular holiday for many, including Americans from all races and religions, celebrating family, unity and, above all, gratitude for what we have.

(Canadians have their own Thanksgiving, celebrated on the second Monday of each October.)

Popular culture is obsessed with celebrities and material possessions. We care more about what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift than what humans are doing to the planet. We tend to put our own personal convenience, needs and wants ahead of everyone else’s. We forget and neglect other people in our lives -- our friends, our relatives, our loved ones, our neighbors, the community and the world as a whole.

Perhaps it’s time to ponder and reflect about why our focus should really be on the true meaning of Thanksgiving -- gratitude. With so many people enduring devastating hardship as a result of the Great Recession, those of us privileged enough to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, should feel more grateful than ever.

It’s heart-breaking to think that so many people out there have no possessions; no shelter of their own, no clothes or shoes to wear and worst of all: no food to eat.

Although there are many very poor people in the United States, many Americans have so much more than so many other people around the world. Most of us lead sheltered, protected and relatively safe lives. Even in the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, we still have a great deal to be thankful for.

A wonderful way to show gratitude is by thinking of others -- give, share, love and smile. Never underestimate how one small and simple act of kindness can transform someone else’s life, at least for a moment.

Thanksgiving is a time to show our appreciation for who we are and what we have. But it is a reminder that gratitude is not something we should experience just one day a year, but every day of our lives.

Life is a wonderful gift. The best way to enjoy it is by making sure that we live each day fully, with intention and to the best of our ability while practicing acts of love and kindness toward loved ones, friends, co-workers and strangers alike.

Whether intentional or unintentional, everything we do impacts the lives of others. We have a duty to take responsibility for our actions. We are like walking mirrors. Everything we project reflects back to us. A simple smile or a compliment can go a long way even for a perfect stranger. Spread your love and lead a life where kindness, compassion and empathy are the overarching feelings that determine your everyday actions.

I have so much to be grateful for. I would like to express my profound gratitude for the unconditional love I receive from my husband and my sons. I am deeply appreciative and grateful for the most wonderful, supportive and kindest friends anyone could ever wish for. I am thankful and feel fortunate to have such loving and devoted relatives. And last but not least, from the bottom of my heart, I am boundlessly grateful for amazing, passionate and caring readers like you. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. May your heart be filled with gratitude, love, kindness and compassion today and always.
 

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WORDS OF WISDOM
Be Grateful, but Live In Gratitude

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

John F. Kennedy
 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Listening to Tisquantum

Without a Native American of the Patuxet Wampanoag people named Tisquantum (better known as "Squanto"), there would have been no Thanksgiving in 1621, and the Pilgrims would not have survived their second Winter in the New World.

Centuries after that first Thanksgiving, it's time to finally learn the lessons that Tisquantum was trying to teach: How to eat SLOW food (Seasonal, Local, Organic and Whole).

The Pilgrims brought food from Europe on the Mayflower. Fresh foods, such as cabbage, lettuce, beets and carrots were gone by the time they landed in the New World. But the Pilgrims also brought large quantities of stored food on shore to last as long as they could make it last, including wheat flour, cheese, butter, oil, sugar, salted and dried fish and deer meat and dried fruits (including peas) and vegetables (including prunes).

Needless to say these provisions were clearly not SLOW foods. They weren't seasonal. They definitely weren't local. The jury's out on whether you could consider 1620-era foods "organic." And many of them weren't whole foods.

The Pilgrims' diet was totally dependent on a culture and climate they no longer had access to. They simply didn't know how to eat or live in the New World. Half the colony died during the first winter.

Then along came Tisquantum. For reasons unclear to history, Tisquantum chose or was compelled to live among the colonists. Tisquantum had been kidnapped and sent to Europe in previous years and was fluent in English and knowledgeable about European ways.

Tisquantum helped the Pilgrims get along with nearby natives, and taught them how to survive in New England by insulating their houses, for example. Perhaps most importantly, he taught them how to eat locally.

Tisquantum's most famous agricultural technique, the burying of fish to fertilize corn crops, may have been picked up in Europe, ironically. However, most of the knowledge he shared was good old-fashioned Indian know-how. After being schooled by Tisquantum, the Pilgrims grew an amazing 20 acres of corn in the first season.

Tisquantum taught the Pilgrims how to fish, trap small animals like beavers, and sea creatures like eels. He taught them how to extract sap from maple trees, how to plant other food crops between the rows of corn for maximum yield.

He taught them how to read nature -- for example to plant corn when the leaves on trees were the same size as a squirrel's ear. Tisquantum also taught the Pilgrims to cook American standards like popcorn.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, let us also give thanks to Tisquantum, but more importantly learn his lessons anew. Like the Pilgrims, our health and our very lives are threatened because our food culture is unsustainable and out of touch with our environment, the seasons and our own bodies.

Tisquantum gave the Pilgrims, and our nation, the greatest of gifts. We can most fully express our gratitude by truly receiving it at last.
 

Stay motivated - Read health-related research news, events and commentary every day. Check out Amira's Vegetarian Organic Blog.

 

SUPERFOODS
Sweet Potatoes

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Chances are you’ll be delighting your palate with the enticing deep-orange color and succulent flavors of sweet potatoes or “yams” as part of your traditional meal.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about sweet potatoes and yams. In the United States their names are used interchangeably.

I decided to clarify the yam situation by going straight to the source: my local sweet potato farmer, John. At the farmer's market, John labels them as “yams” but they’re not true yams. He says there are no true yams in the United States. All of the roots sold as “yams” in the U.S. are in fact sweet potatoes, which are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family. John went on to explain how true yams are colossal in size compared to sweet potatoes, and not commonly found in supermarkets. African yams vary in size but can weigh over one hundred pounds. John told me that it was African slaves who started calling sweet potatoes “yams” because they resembled the yams from Africa. And that’s how the sweet potatoes became known as “yams.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that labels with the word “yam” be accompanied also with the term “sweet potato.” Both true yams and sweet potatoes are angiosperms (flowering plants) but they are not botanically related. Native to Africa and Asia, yams are a monocot (with one embryonic seed leaf) from the Dioscoreacae or Yam family and 95% of these are grown in Africa. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), on the other hand, are a dicot (with two embryonic seed leaves). True yams are starchier and drier whereas sweet potatoes are moist and more robust.

Native to South America, the skin color of sweet potatoes ranges from white to yellow, brownish red, purple or dark brown. The flesh can also vary from yellow to orange or reddish orange. Contrary to popular belief, sweet potatoes are not related to regular white-fleshed potatoes. Sweet potatoes have a much lower glycemic index than white potatoes, which makes them healthy carbs for carbohydrate-sensitive people as well as “carbophobics.”

Buy firm, unblemished and sprout-free sweet potatoes. The deep-orange flesh sweet potatoes are the best tasting. Choose potatoes that are approximately the same size and thickness to make sure they all cook evenly when baking whole in the oven.

Store sweet potatoes in dark, cool and dry places. Brush off dirt but do not wash until ready to use. Also, do not refrigerate, as it will take away from the flavor and texture qualities, making them tasteless and hard.

When it comes to sweet potatoes, I’m a purest. I like to eat them whole and simply baked without adding absolutely anything to them. I believe that adding butter and sugar to them takes away from their incredibly delicious and scrumptiously earthy flavor. And butter isn’t good for you anyway, plus cooking them whole helps prevent the loss of powerful nutrients.

My favorite way to bake sweet potatoes is wrapped in parchment paper (see recipe below) but you can also peel, cube and roast them with olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes depending on size.

If you eat sweet potatoes only at Thanksgiving meal, you're missing out. Enjoy these delicious gems regularly. They’re fat free, cholesterol free and loaded with fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, folate, potassium, iron, manganese and copper. I love sweet potatoes and I eat them as often as possible throughout their season, from August through October, although it seems you can find them almost year round.

 

GOOD THINGS IN SEASON
Persimmons

I enjoyed my first Hachiya persimmon of the season just a few weeks ago. OK, I enjoyed two of them in one sitting. They tasted sweet like honey with an intricate mild hint of mango, nectarine, apricot and honeydew melon. Ancient Greeks called them the "fruit of the gods" or "divine fruit." And they taste divine.

Like pumpkins, persimmons have a beautiful bright but deep orange color. They're a true berry and are in season from October to December. My local farmer's market is selling persimmons abundantly right now.

Though there used to be hundreds of persimmon varieties. The most common varieties sold in the U.S. are the Hachiya and the Fuyu. The former is my favorite. The Fuyus are usually eaten hard, since they're not astringent. You can cut them into wedges like an apple, but they can also be eaten when they're soft.

Hachiyas, on the other hand, must be soft to be eaten. When Hachiyas are hard, it means they’re unripe and therefore astringent. Never try to eat a hard Hachiya. You would be unpleasantly surprised by an extreme feeling of dryness, bitterness and numbness in your mouth. This is caused by high levels of tannins.

Persimmons are generally underappreciated in the United States. I believe the reason is that they have what you could call a "slimy" and “mushy” texture. People who didn't grow up eating tropical fruit with such characteristics definitely have a hard time eating persimmons.

Hachiyas are usually sold unripe or hard, but they'll eventually ripen (in one to three weeks). If your patience is being tried, place the hard Hachiyas in paper bag with apples or bananas. These release ethylene gas, which speed up the ripening process. They'll get very soft and delicate to handle (like a balloon filled with water).

Ripe Hachiyas look almost translucent. And when you cut one in half, it will expose the translucent, jelly-like flesh that is very slick -- sort of like custard. Select Hachiyas that have a deep orange color with beautiful glossy skin. The black color patches some may have are just sun spots -- they’re okay to eat. I like to cut them in half crosswise and simply scoop out the inside with a spoon. Hachiyas are great for adding to baked goods, including cakes and fruit breads. Fully ripe Hachiyas should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later use in baking, or for eating frozen like a sorbet.

Fuyu persimmons have the shape of regular tomatoes and have a golden orange color. The fuyu can be eaten like an apple with its skin, but the calyx or top must be removed. I like to peel my fuyus before I eat them. If you like fruit in your salads, fuyus are great for that. I also love them in fruit salads. They really add wonderful sweetness.

Whether you prefer the fuyus or the hachiyas, these persimmons each have their own wonderful qualities and unique nutrients to offer. The soft hachiya is lower in calories and higher in vitamin C. But the fuyus offer more potassium, calcium and protein. The moral of the story: Learn to enjoy both of them.

 

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VEGETARIAN ORGANIC RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Parchment-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Click on the picture for a closer look!

Baked sweet potatoes are an easy way to boost your immune system. They’re good for you and they taste exquisite. Eat them as a snack or as part of any meal -- breakfast, lunch or dinner. Have them all by themselves or combine them with other foods, they go with just about anything. I love eating them like you would a regular baked potato and topping them with quinoa, black beans and vegetables. It’s delicious!

Materials:
Unbleached parchment paper

Ingredients:
6 medium sized sweet potatoes (similar thickness)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes until thoroughly clean. Dry with kitchen towel and set aside.

Cut pieces or a sheet of parchment paper just large enough to wrap each unpeeled sweet potato completely.

Wrap each individual sweet potato with a piece of parchment paper using both your hands to twist both ends. The same way hard candies are wrapped with paper twisted on both ends.

Place on middle rack of oven, baking until soft to the touch (25 to 45 minutes depending on size). Remove from oven and serve without removing the parchment paper.

Here are two short videos I made showing how to wrap and unwrap sweet potatoes.

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