Can you believe that it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day? It’s almost time for shamrocks and all things green!
Spring holidays like St. Patrick’s Day are a joyous time to celebrate the season! However, many “holiday” foods may leave you feeling uncomfortable after bariatric surgery. Many of these foods (hello alcohol and Irish soda bread) are high in carbohydrates which can lead to stomach expansion or uncomfortable symptoms like nausea or diarrhea caused by the rapid digestion of carbs. However, there are lots of alternative yet festive ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year!
How about serving naturally green vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, green beans, or romaine lettuce at your holiday meal to honor St. Patrick while staying mindful of your diet goals! No need for any artificial coloring, green vegetables naturally contain chlorophyll which is a pigment that gives plants their characteristic bright green color. Chlorophyll helps plants absorb sunlight and convert it into energy through the process of photosynthesis. However, chlorophyll also provides benefits to us whenever we eat it! Chlorophyll is an antioxidant that helps protect our cells from damage and can help prevent chronic diseases like cancer.
Green vegetables are very low in carbohydrates but powerful in flavor and would make the perfect festive food to serve at your holiday meal!
Green vegetables include:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Artichoke
- Broccoli
- Arugula
- Watercress
- Okra
- Green beans
- Cucumber
- Brussels sprouts
- Asparagus
- Collard greens
- Cabbage
- Romain lettuce
- Swiss chard
- Boy choy
- Turnip greens
Do you see any new veggies that you would like to try out this holiday?
To keep it simple, toss some green beans, broccoli, and brussels sprouts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350F for a savory side dish. Tip: pairing vegetable with a small amount of fat like olive oil help your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the vegetables like vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Vitamin A help support healthy vision, Vitamin E helps protect our cells from damage, and vitamin K helps support normal blood clotting, heart health, and bone health.
For an Irish-inspired green vegetable side dish, try roasting some cabbage. This recipe for roasted cabbage with lemon from Kalyn’s Kitchen.com looks light and tasty:
Another savory food associated with St. Patrick’s Day is corned beef. If you are like me, you may have often wondered, “what is corned beef exactly?”. Corned beef is beef that has been cured in a salt brine with other spices. Its name comes from the old English word “corn” that means grain, or small pieces of hard things that look like grain. Since salt looks like tiny pieces of grain, this “salted” beef was called “corned” beef. Corned beef and cabbage dishes were often enjoyed by Irish immigrants in American, thus they have become a St. Patrick’s Day stable. Corned beef and cabbage dishes are also great low-carb meals to enjoy! Check out this recipe for corned beef and cabbage made in your slow cooker:
Slow Cooker Keto Corned Beef Cabbage from Beauty and the Foodie.com
Other ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day include wearing green to represent Ireland, having a family game night, watching an Irish movie or the St. Patrick’s Day parade on TV, drinking green tea, reading about St. Patrick, or doing a fun craft with your kids! The possibilities are endless with a little ingenuity and imagination.
From all of us at here at WeightWise, we want to wish you and your family a happy St. Patrick’s Day! Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you on your journey to health and wellbeing!