Do the holidays leave you feeling like a balloon about to pop after every meal? You're not alone. The average person consumes 4,500 calories on just Thanksgiving alone! Now that's not to say you won't be able to enjoy your favorite holiday foods, but here are some options that will allow you to enjoy them and not need to unbutton your pants after every meal.
1. Eating a Small Meal Before the Large Meal.
By eating a small meal before you sit down with your loved ones and chow down you already preemptively decreased the amount of space in your stomach. This will prevent you from going into the larger meal feeling ravenous and grabbing a bit of everything in sight. When choosing what to eat with your "pre-game" meal, choose things that are more nutrient dense and less calorie dense, such as apples and peanut butter, or carrots and hummus. With these foods they will digest fairly quickly, and you won't need a lot to feel slightly full. Begin eating your smaller meal 1-2 hours before the larger meal. This will give your body enough time to digest a portion of that meal lessening the possiblity of you overeating at the larger meal.
2. Eat Until You Are 80% Full.
This term is called Hara Hachi, which in Japanese translates as "Eat until you are 80% full". This practice was adopted in Okinawa, Japan as a way to control their eating habits. When you apply this method to eating it makes the overall experience more enjoyable, and not just the delicious food. Eating until you are 80% full, or satisfied, allows for less stress on your digestive system and an overall more pleasant experience when eating. How do you know when you're 80% full? Place an amount of food on your plate that you feel would make you feel satisfied. Not full, satisfied. There is a significant calorie difference between the two. Once you start enacting this practice you will begin to know what amount of food will get you to that "sweet spot" of satisfied and not full.
3. Stand For At Least 30 Minutes After Eating.
When you stand your digestive tract is in a more functional position, allowing the food you just consumed to be properly absorbed and digested. When you sit, your digestive tract is compressed making it more difficult for your meal to be properly digested and absorbed. This will cause symptoms like bloating, stomach pains, acid reflux and just general discomfort. You can do whatever you want with those 30 minutes, wash the dishes, chat with some friends or family members, take a shower, go for a walk, you name it, as long as you're standing.
4. Water Before/After Your Meal.
Try drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before you have that big holiday meal. The water will kickstart your digestive enzymes in your system and prepare your body for your meal. To avoid slowing down the digestive process, avoid drinking cold water. During your meal, try to avoid drinking water as it will clear out your system and not allow all the nutrients from your food to be absorbed. If you begin to feel thirsty, cut back on the salt. Wait at least 30 minutes after you finish your meal to have any water, again to allow proper nutrient absorption from your meal.
5. Chew More.
This a great practice to get into not just during the holidays. Taking more time to chew your food not only allows you to enjoy it more by savoring the food in your mouth but gives your body a chance to start digesting the food you previously swallowed. Research shows that by chewing your food 50% more it reduces your calorie intake by 15%, and you're burning more calories.
Don't let the holidays be a bourdon on your digestive system, use these methods to prevent yourself from overeating and enjoy your holiday season and all the delicious food they bring. Whether it's eating a small meal before the larger one, eating until you are 80% full, drinking water 30 minutes before you eat, standing for at least 30 minutes after you eat or chewing more, find a method that you can implement, not just for the holidays, but in all your meals. Your digestive system will thank you.
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