What to Eat Thanksgiving Morning? Citrus!

There's a lot of information available about Thanksgiving meal choices and recipes, but what are we supposed to eat on Thanksgiving morning? I don't know about you, but every year I am seriously challenged in this department: if I eat too much or too heavy, I won't be hungry enough for the afternoon repast. However, if I eat too little or nothing at all, the discomfort from hunger pangs detracts from the joy of preparing the Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. Whatever is one to do? 

Eat citrus! It will give you clean, nutritious energy and fullness without taking away from your enjoyment of the feast.

 

Why Citrus Is Great for Breakfast

Orange juice has become the poster child of breakfast beverages, and most morning diners are familiar with the classic sectioned half-grapefruit. Oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines are all excellent choices for eating clean and healthy while also feeling full and satiated. This effect is largely due to the high fiber content found in all citrus fruits. For example, depending on its size, an orange can contain three to four grams of fiber, which is about ten percent of the adult recommended daily allowance. The high Vitamin C content in all citrus fruits is a bonus, as it can give our cells the energy needed to enjoy the packed holidays. Research has also shown that vitamin C can help suppress appetite.

If you have to choose between orange juice and a whole orange, tangerine, or grapefruit, however, ditch the juice and enjoy the fruit instead. While comparable in vitamin C content, Orange juice only has about one gram of fiber and is high in sugar.

While a piece of fruit makes a great snack, it might not be enough to stave off the uncomfortable hunger before the big feast. Adding a little protein, such as yogurt, can help. You can even make more creative and festive meals, such as this Citrus Sunrise. Or try this delicious Citrus Breakfast Bowl that has the added health benefits of bee pollen, chia, and flax seeds. 

After breakfast, keeping a bowl of whole citrus fruits on hand throughout Thanksgiving day is a great idea because they can provide instant relief for those unpleasant hunger pangs without weighing you down or giving you a sugar crash. 

Hydration Is Key

Dehydration can be mistaken for hunger because the body, in a way, craves water and may display similar signals, such as salivation and stomach rumbling. In the midst of the holiday bustle, cooking, and socializing, it is easy to forget to drink enough water. The combination of dehydration and an increasing appetite can be both uncomfortable and unhealthy.

Citrus fruits come to the rescue once again! Oranges and grapefruits belong to a group of foods known in the health and nutrition world as "water-rich" and "hydrating." This means they have a high water content, and the water is readily available for our cells to absorb. A typical orange contains about half a cup of water, and its fiber content contributes to its filling properties. An average grapefruit, on the other hand, is about 91% water, with a whole grapefruit containing around a cup of water.

This holiday season, consider making some warming citrus drinks. You can prepare them in a large soup pot at breakfast and keep them simmering on the stove throughout the day. Thirsty family and friends can refill their cups as they please. The best part? These drinks will also fill your home with the delightful scent of fall! 

Start...and Continue... Your Day, the Citrus Way

We may have over a month to go yet before New Year's resolutions, but starting off Thanksgiving with a healthy citrus breakfast is a great way to set the stage for healthy habits every day. Indeed, we don't normally have a meal as big as the Thanksgiving feast most days. However, the benefits of eating a citrus-adorned breakfast and turning to whole oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits for a quick pick-me-up snack throughout the day can really add up your wellness points. 

And of course, citrus is great for dinner dishes too, including Thanksgiving dinner! Try this wonderful roasted turkey with orange pumpernickel chestnut stuffing, or other creative main and side dish recipes found here.

From all of us here at Florida Fruit Shippers: Happy Thanksgiving!

Sources:

https://www.droracle.ai/articles/36144/which-vitamins-suppress-appetite

https://blog.orangesonline.com/2022/01/warming-citrus-drinks-for-wintertime.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/high-fiber-foods/art-20050948

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oranges

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/orange-juice

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/19-hydrating-foods

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2467458/

The Sweet Connection Between Citrus and Gratitude

 

The holiday season is touted as a time for cheer and warm fuzzies, but let's face it: the time leading up to Christmas can also be stressful. In addition to the normal demands of a busy life, we face many extra things to think about, plan, buy, and coordinate. Exciting as the holidays may be, they can also challenge our self-care and energy reserves.

Because the pre-Christmas weeks can feel overwhelming, I have always been grateful that Thanksgiving falls right before the December holidays and the New Year. It is much less commercialized and less consumer-oriented. The main emphasis of Thanksgiving is on being with family and friends, cooking and sharing a hearty meal, and focusing on what we are thankful for. It's a time to gather in, connect, and if we're lucky, get a little rest before the Black Friday-Cyber Monday-Chanukah-Christmas-New Year's Eve hullabaloo kicks into full gear.

Citrus has long been part of the American Thanksgiving foodscape.  Our next blog will focus on some delicious ways to use oranges and grapefruits in your holiday meals and drinks. In fact, it would behoove us to include these phenomenal fruits in your holiday meals, as citrus fruits actually promote gratitude! In today's blog, we'll look at some of the amazing properties of citrus that can literally help us feel thankful.

Oranges Lower Depression

You've heard the popular idiom: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." While apples are healthy to eat, a recent Harvard Medical School study has shown that eating an orange a day lowers the risk for developing depression by twenty percent; this significant effect is not observed with any other fruits or vegetables. The study showed that daily orange consumption  stimulates the growth of a type of gut bacteria called Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. This particular species influences the production of serotonin and dopamine, both of which are well known to help us chill and improve our mood.

Add to that the high Vitamin C content of citrus, and you have a double good mood whammy. Vitamin C regulates the stress hormone cortisol, which tends to spike during busy times like the holidays. Vitamin C is also important for the production of the relaxation hormones serotonin and dopamine. Since ninety percent of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut, the humble orange becomes a prominent player in gut-brain health, and thus mood.

There's more yet: oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines are also rich in citrus-specific polyphenols, which encourage the growth of yet another vital gut bacteria species called Bifidabacterium longum. This bacteria strengthens the gut lining and fortifies the gut-brain axis. Tangerines in particular contain a polyphenol called nobiletin, which helps our circadian rhythm equilibrate. We feel better, poop better, sleep better, and thus feel thankful!

So if you have a "gut" feeling that eating citrus is good for you during the busy holidays, follow it! 

Citrus Is Associated with Good Fortune and Beauty

Many cultures associate citrus with good luck and beauty. In China, tangerines and other  citrus fruits are given for the Lunar New Year as a symbol of abundance and fortune. During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a citron known as an etrog is used in a ceremony and represents the beauty of the citrus fruits that were once considered rare in the Mediterranean. Similarly, the gifting of oranges has been part of Christmas since St. Nicholas's time, and really gained popularity in the 19th century.  No matter the culture, religion, or holiday, one theme is shared: citrus fruits represent good fortune and happiness due to the fact that they were once rare and are now widely available and affordable. Now that's something to be thankful for!

The Sweet Taste of Gratitude

Our brains are wired to pursue pleasure and recoil from discomfort or unpleasant sensations. We have a "reward system" built into us, which directly associates certain experiences with pleasurable sensations. Research has shown that sweet tastes induce a feeling of pleasure and reward. Sweeter citrus varieties like oranges can play a role in activating the reward system by associating the holiday experience with the pleasure of sweet tastes. And, unlike candies and desserts, the effect is more likely to last. 

Here at Florida Fruit Shippers, we are grateful for the land and climate where our citrus trees can grow and thrive, the farmers and employees who work hard to tend to the trees, the harvesting of the fruits, and the shipping right to your doorstep. We are especially grateful for you, our customers, who, like us, appreciate the sweetness of having healthy, delicious citrus as a part of daily life.

From all of us: Happy Thanksgiving!

Sources:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/02/eating-citrus-may-lower-depression-risk/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/can-eating-oranges-improve-mood-and-memory/articleshow/118716899.cms

https://www.realsimple.com/mood-boosting-fruits-11707092

https://www.whyzz.com/stories/offering-oranges-to-the-gods-is-a-way-to-ask-for-good

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6622070/jewish/15-Facts-You-Should-Know-About-the-Etrog.htm

https://lockerwallpaper.com/blogs/news/the-sweet-tradition-a-history-of-citrus-fruit-at-christmas-time

https://citrusindustry.net/2020/12/22/citrus-holiday-traditions/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1057740815000273

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-28553-9