Sigh… Thanksgiving… a day wildly recognized for over indulging at the dinner table with your loved ones. Having grown up in a culture surrounded by a “Bigger is Better,” mentality, it’s only natural for Americans everywhere to have this eating habit-especially on this holiday! But I’m going to let you in on a couple little tips to help break through the trend this year.
Why? Because as tasty as your meal may be, you ‘re going to regret it an hour later, the next day, and the day after that! Once you begin binge eating you’ll get that mentality in your head that “one more sugar cookie won’t hurt anything” even though it may have been your sixth cookie. But you’ll remind yourself that it’s okay, because it’s the holiday season. And then sure enough, you’ve got high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and maybe even gained a few pounds. Holiday binge eating is a dangerous, very real thing. But as said before, the problem is it’s such a cultural norm. People do their best to take every opportunity imaginable to enjoy those sweets, and cocoa’s because they are only seasonal treats. Allow me to help you get through this holiday season with a couple quick tips to both help your health and help you enjoy the season’s gifts.
- Maintain a steady meal plan-Limit yourself with 3 steady meals a day or 5 petite meals throughout the day. This will help avoid over consumption.
- Ingredient check- ask Nana what she added in that pie. Classic recipes call for Crisco and other very fatty, high cholesterol ridden ingredients. This will help you become aware of what you’re putting in your body.
- Exercise for 60 minutes a day- This will keep the weight off and keep your heart healthy
- Choose healthier options at the feast- choose green beans instead of stuffing, choose white meat instead of the fatty dark meat… etc.
- Eat slowly- people who eat quickly end up over eating. This is because the large amounts of food entering the body at short increments of time doesn’t give the brain enough time to receive “full” signals from the stomach- which then results in over consumption.
- Avoid alcohol- alcohol is filled with mass amounts of sugars and hinders the body’s metabolic state. Not only that, it is poison to the body’s liver.
- Drink lots of water- studies have shown that if you’re hungry and you already ate, you may actually just be thirsty. So be sure to drink a hearty amount of water through the day to avoid over consumption.
You’ll be tempted by those rolls… I know, I get it. But remember to pace yourself and listen to your body. In the reality of things, all of these seasonal foods can be enjoyed throughout the year- just don’t start hanging up your Christmas lights until AFTER Thanksgiving! (Just kidding, live your best life!)
