What Was Served At the First Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday has evolved a great deal over the years. Nearly 400 years have passed since that first feast, but we can look back at some of the items on the original menu to find some healthy eating tips for today's time-honored holiday.

Offer historically accurate alternatives alongside your Thanksgiving staples or trade out some of today's sides for ones more like those the pilgrims ate. This is a great way to ward off that dreaded holiday weight gain and stick to your healthy eating habits.

What Meats Did Pilgrims Eat?

Turkey and ham are often thought of as the big, important meats for Thanksgiving dinner. A mind-blowing 91% of all Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving and we ultimately consume around 550 million pounds of it on that one day each year. There is documentation that the pilgrims ate fowl on the first Thanksgiving, but it is unknown what specific fowl were on the table. Wild turkeys, ducks and geese were all native to the area.

If turkey was eaten, it wasn't like today's turkey. Our turkey is domesticated and raised specifically for eating. Turkeys are bred to be very meaty and they weigh twice as much as wild turkeys. Turkey breast meat is quite lean, but our turkey also has very fatty skin and the sought-after drumsticks are loaded with cholesterol.

Ham wasn't on the menu at all, but venison definitely was. The Native Americans brought five deer to the feast and cooked them over spits. Deer is a versatile meat and it's the leanest of the dark meats. It's low in both calories and fat, while being high in protein and iron. This makes it an ideal meat option for a healthy as well as authentic Thanksgiving.

Shellfish and Fish

Seafood doesn't often appear on our Thanksgiving menus today, but it's worth considering. Shellfish like mussels, clams and oysters were plentiful in the New England area and easy to harvest as well. The first Thanksgiving may also have included lobster. All offer high amounts of omega-3s and iron. Bass was often caught and eaten, so it was likely a part of the banquet. Like other fish, bass also has lots of omega-3 and is a great source of protein. Bass does have higher mercury levels though, so you may want to consider other fish like trout or salmon.

Vegetables

Because the first Thanksgiving celebrated the fall harvest, there were vegetables aplenty. Beans, carrots, onions, cool-weather squash, spinach and cabbage were common crops that were likely cooked and eaten. Meats were probably rubbed in herbs and spices and could also be boiled with onions and other vegetables for flavor. Beans are an excellent source of protein and squash are a great source of fiber. Leafy greens and other vegetables are packed with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants as well as delicious flavor. Having a variety of vegetables adds color and nutritional value to any modern Thanksgiving dinner.

Yellow corn is considered by many to be a Thanksgiving staple. Maize (which is also known as Indian corn) was grown and harvested by the colony and likely appeared at the first Thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn't eat their corn like we do though. It was removed from the cob and made into cornmeal then that was made into a type of corn mash or porridge.

What about Potatoes and Pumpkin Pie?

Mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, like corn, are two Thanksgiving staples. Potatoes were not yet being cultivated in North America at the time of the first Thanksgiving, so they obviously weren't eaten. Potatoes though are one of our modern additions that is actually very nutritious as long as you don't smother them in gravy or butter. Baked potatoes or roasted redskin potatoes make great side dishes.

Pumpkin was probably eaten at the first Thanksgiving, but not as a pie. It was more likely just cooked right alongside butternut and similar squash. The pilgrims had no access to wheat flour to make a pie crust and they also didn't have ovens for baking. In fact, there wasn't any bread at all. This means there was also no bread-based stuffing or rolls. Cutting back on bread is a great way to cut back on carbs. As far as desserts went, there were plenty of fruits and berries from blueberries to raspberries and grapes. Cranberries were grown, but too tart to be eaten and without sugar, so instead they were used only for dyes.

Recreating The First Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving didn't include a great deal of bread or dairy. It was very heavy on fresh vegetables and meats. The two were also likely combined to make very savory stews. For a historically-inspired Thanksgiving you should definitely spend time in your produce section. Possibilities are endless with vegetables and you can even use them in place of bread-based stuffing.

About Linda V.

Linda Vojtova is a Czech-born International Model, who has been on many of the world's most popular advertisements and fashion magazine covers. Linda V. has a passion for sharing her interest in fitness, diet, and overall health and well-being with her followers.

The Magic of Wheatgrass Supplements

Wheatgrass Juice

If you are looking for an amazing super-food as well as a green food then wheatgrass is the answer. As a super-food it is jam-packed with vitamins and minerals and it also imparts users with many health benefits. Because it is a green food you know it was cultivated organically without potentially dangerous synthetic chemicals, which is an added bonus.

What Exactly Is Wheatgrass?

Wheatgrass is a type of wheat, which you probably know is a type of grass. It is both cultivated and harvested in much different ways than common wheat and if you cultivate it yourself at home it looks like nice, green grass. 

Along with it's lengthy list of health benefits you may also run into it going by a number of other names. Some other names for wheatgrass are couchgrass, dog grass, cutch, durfa frass, quackgrass, quitch grass, scotch quelch, twitch grass and even witch grass.

It is derived from the cotyledons of common wheat. A cotyledon is part of the embryo of the seed of a plant. In grasses, such as wheat, the cotyledons are highly modified into unique "seed leaves." Wheatgrass is often compared to malt wheat in the growing process, but it is actually allowed to grow longer than malt. Properly harvesting and utilizing your own wheatgrass can be tricky and also involves a special juicer. Luckily, you can buy the raw product, juice, a powder form and even a tablet at most specialty food stores.

Benefits of Wheatgrass

Like any super-food, wheatgrass has high concentrations of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It contains large amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, iron and magnesium. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties as well as improves your immune system.

Wheatgrass does a few other great things in the body as well. It increases your production of hemoglobin, making it easier for your red blood cells to transport oxygen. This keeps you energized, feeling great and is one of the factors contributing to wheatgrass' immune-boosting. This also helps to purify the blood and remove toxins from the bloodstream as well as from the liver. This includes heavy metals as well as drug deposits.

Along with cleansing the blood, wheatgrass is a mile diuretic. This means that it will cleans your urinary tract. It flushes toxins from the urethra, bladder and prostate. Couple this with its bacterial-fighting qualities and it is the perfect way to deal with a urinary tract or similar infection.

Who Should Take Wheatgrass?

Wheatgrass is good for everyone. Not only does it have all of these benefits, but it also has little no negative side effects and is safe in both food and medicinal quantities. Some people do not like the flavor, but the pill and tablet forms can remedy that. Most people choose to take a shot of wheatgrass juice or they mix the powder in with another fruit juice or in smoothies. The nutrients in wheatgrass as so concentrated that you do not need much to reap the benefits. In most cases you simply need to follow the instructions on the packaging to make wheatgrass a part of your diet.

People with diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol can all benefit greatly from the effect wheatgrass has on red blood cells. It improves digestion and also eases the symptoms of respiratory conditions, including the common cold and sore throats. Because it is so great at cleansing the body it is a staple of any detox regimen as well. Again, it is also an excellent way to deal with urinary tract infections, bladder infections and even kidney stones.

Depending upon why you want to start taking wheatgrass, you may consider consulting with your doctor or a dietitian. If you are interested in wheatgrass for a certain condition, you may need to take it different or in a different amount. Dosing may also change depending on your short and long-term plans for wheatgrass consumption.

Legality of Wheatgrass

Currently, wheatgrass is a very popular health food. There is also a great deal of scientific research going on that pertains to its benefits. Because of its many benefits with basically no side effects, there are no regulations at this time. Not only can you easily buy wheatgrass in its many forms, but you may also grow you own at home. This is a very economical option for those with patience and a green thumb. Wheatgrass is definitely worth trying. 

About Linda V.

Linda Vojtova is a Czech-born International Model, who has been on many of the world's most popular fashion magazine covers. Linda V. has a passion for sharing her interest in fitness, diet, and overall health and well-being with her followers.

Healthy Vegetable Salad Recipe from Linda Vojtova

Hi, and welcome to my very first blog. My name is Linda Vojtova, and I am an International Model, who has done work for some of the biggest brands in fashion.

As a swimsuit model, I am particularly cautious, as I'm sure you can imagine, of my weight, but I do love all kinds of food. I have been able to mix my passion for gourmet food with maintaining my weight with salads.

The pre-packaged salads you find in the markets bore me. Often, a salad for me is a meal, and I'd to share some of the ingredients I use in salad to not only make them delicious, but healthy too. I hope you find my blog interesting.

My Super Salads

Salads are a powerhouse of nutrients and fresh flavors. They are refreshing; they are fun, and you can make them anyway you'd like. This time of the year people start eating more salad, but you can maximize the health benefit of salads by adding these super-healthy vegetables, nuts, fruits, cooked beans, lettuce, and salad dressing:

Asparagus

Add elegance to your salad with the creamy, savory taste of asparagus. Asparagus is rich in dietary fiber, which is great for lowering bad cholesterol levels and regulating blood sugar levels, antioxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B-Vitamin complex, and essential minerals.

Summer Squash

Add the colors of spring and the taste of summer to your salad with Summer Squash. Squash is a good source of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and Vitamin B6. The health benefits of Summer Squash includes: improves vision, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, fights cancer, controls PMS symptoms and more.

Pistachios

Add an exotic flare to your salad with the addition of warm and toasty, green pistachios. Pistachios contain many nutrients such as protein, fiber, Vitamin B6, thiamin, phosphorous, and magnesium which are great for controlling your weight and helping with heart problems.

Grilled Fruit

Grilled fruit adds a sweet and smoky flavor to your salad. Let your salad wisp you away to the islands with the tropical flavors of sweet, juicy grilled pineapple, exotic, grilled plantains, and creamy, shredded coconut.

• Pineapples - Pineapples are a great source of Vitamin A, C, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and fiber. Its nutrient content is great for strengthening bones, keeping gums healthy, alleviating arthritis symptoms, lowering your risk of Mascular Degeneration, and improving digesting. 

• Plantains - This banana-like fruit is a great source of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, niacin, B complex vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. They contain more Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and potassium than a banana and are great for providing starch and energy, soothing kidney and bladder problems, and easing menstrual discomfort.

• Coconut - This "super-food" is rich in good fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The health benefits of the coconut include: provides a nutritional source of energy and endurance, supports tissue repair, helps protect against kidney and bladder infections, protects against liver disease, helps control weight, reduces inflammation, helps kill bacteria associated with ulcers, cavities, throat infections, gingivitis and more.

Canellini Beans

Add warm, buttery, meaty flavor to your salad with cooked Cannellini beans. Cannellini beans are a great source of B Complex vitamins, zinc, potassium, iron, essential minerals, saponins, isoflavins, soluble fiber, and more protein than any other plant based food. They provide a good balance or protein and complex carbohydrates, which provides a slow steady source of glucose.

The Best Types of Lettuce

Not all lettuce is created equal; add the following lettuce to your salad to really boost its nutritional value.

• Romaine - Romaine lettuce is said to be the healthiest of all lettuce. It adds a variety of flavors and textures to your salad and is a great source of Vitamin A, K, C, B1, folate, fiber, biotin, and molybdenum. 

• Spinach - For a tender texture, with a light crunch, add or use Spinach leaves as your salad base. Spinach is rich in folate, Vitamin C, K, A, E, B vitamins, calcium, iron, copper, fiber, protein, and omega 3 fats. The nutrient content in Spinach is great for prostate health, regulating eye health, keeping bones strong and healthy and more.

• Endive - Endive lettuce provides a fun way to enjoy your salad in a aperitif-like fashion. Endive lettuce is a great source of Vitamin C, A, B vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and essential minerals. This lettuce is great for protecting against oral and lung cancers, lowering bad cholesterol, and maintaining eye sight.

Top it Off with an Easy Low Fat Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 Tbsp organic raw honey
• 1/4 cup raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

Place ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth, and enjoy!

-Linda Vojtova

International Model