Tomorrow is a big food day, to say the least. It is the only day of the year devoted to cooking and eating. And it is the one day when all thoughts of portion control, low-fat options, and limiting dessert intake are thrown out the window without protest. In addition to being the day in which we share with the people whom we love what we are most thankful for, Thanksgiving has become a day of gluttony and hedonism. Now, this blog is supposed to be focused on healthy cooking and eating, but I'm not going to sit here and write out recipes for vegan stuffing (it just doesn't taste the same without the two sticks of butter and sausage) or low-fat pumpkin pie (the freshly whipped cream and butter-infused crust are clutch for this holiday). Instead, I'm going to give some useful advice on how to have an enjoyable day of eating, without the feeling of waking up on Friday and wanting to shoot yourself in the face because you're still so full.
--Eat Breakfast - Most people wake up Thanksgiving morning and think "I'm going to be eating a lot tonight, so to avoid feeling guilty I'm just not going to eat anything else today". Wrong. First, you need breakfast more than ever on Thanksgiving - breakfast will kick-start your metabolism, thus making your body burn up calories right away and at a relatively fast rate. If you don't eat breakfast (and this is true all the time), your body goes into starvation mode - as soon as you start eating (or rather, feasting), your body is going to initially hold onto all those calories. Eventually some of those Thanksgiving calories (that haven't already turned to fat) will start to be burned, but at a very slow rate. Second, if you eat breakfast, you'll actually be less likely to over-over indulge. Eating breakfast decreases the likelihood of overeating throughout the rest of the day; so if you eat breakfast (and lunch), you'll actually feel more satisfied at Thanksgiving dinner and may only get a light second helping, rather than a heaping third.
--Be active in the morning - A lot of people try to exercise the day before Thanksgiving and then compulsively workout the day after; but doing some sort of physical activity the day of Thanksgiving will help boost your metabolism and therefore help you burn more calories that day. You don't need to go for a 5 mile run (and let's be honest, if you're helping to cook at all, you don't have time to go for a 5 mile run). But go for a walk around the block after you've eaten breakfast or do a few push-ups when you wake up. You're going to be doing a lot of sitting, eating, and more sitting during the later part of the day, so try to be a little active in the morning. Aside from burning calories, it's important for our overall health to be active on a daily basis, and we often forget about this fact on Thanksgiving. On a day when there's usually very little bodily movement (other than our jaws chomping and hands utilizing a fork and knife), it's important to be proactive and move a lil' bit in the morning.
--Take one helping at a time - This is a holiday devoted to cooking and food, so there is plenty of food to go around at the Thanksgiving table (we typically have at least five tupperware containers filled with leftovers the next day). So don't be greedy when you initially fill your plate with food. There will be enough stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, etc. for you to get seconds. Resist the temptation to pile extra helpings on your plate during round 1 of feasting. Fill your plate with one helping of everything and then eat all of it before getting up to fill your plate again. This brings me to the next point...
--Wait 15 minutes - It takes 20 minutes for the human body to feel full, so after your first round of gorging, wait a little bit and let your body digest. Suggest to your family that after everyone's done with their first helping of food, you go around the table and say what you're thankful for. The food isn't going anywhere, and like I said, there is plenty of it. So, no need to jump the gun and rush for second helpings. Saying thanks will take 10-20 minutes (and isn't that really what Thanksgiving is about?), giving your body enough time to digest and feel a bit more satiated. You'll find that when you go up for seconds, your helpings will be smaller than your first round.
--Drink water - For some reason, people have a hard time distinguishing between feelings of thirst and hunger. Often times, when we think we're hungry, we are actually thirsty. You should heed this advice on a daily basis, but especially the day of Thanksgiving, make sure to drink lots of water along with your yummy food. This will help you feel more satisfied and your body will be extra grateful for the hydration. Additionally, water helps food digest...to put it bluntly, it helps push things through. Not only will you digest your Thanksgiving meal faster, but you'll also feel less bloated.
--Do a little dance - Growing up, my family would always have a dance party after our Thanksgiving feast (and to be honest this was just as memorable, if not more so, than the actual feast). Many of you are probably thinking "I can barely move after Thanksgiving dinner, let alone dance". Take some time to digest: help clear the table, put away the leftovers, wash the dishes...but after everything is cleaned up, put on some favorite tunes and have a little dance party. You and your family will probably be happily intoxicated from all the Thanksgiving wine, so why not take advantage of everyone's bubbling state of mind? I'm not saying you should turn your living room into a bumpin' night club. I'm simply suggesting to turn on some Michael Jackson, Spice Girls, and Black Eyed Peas and get your groove on. In addition to helping you digest the three pounds of food you've consumed, this is a fun way to end the night. Fantastic food, great drinks, and fun music. Thanksgiving will become your favorite holiday, if it isn't already, especially after watching your drunk relatives try to shake it to Shakira...
So there you have it - some useful advice to help make your Turkey Day a day of satisfying feasting and memories (rather than a day of regretful indulgence). Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Gobble gobble :)
No comments:
Post a Comment