Does this scenario sound familiar?
It’s early on Thanksgiving evening and you just finished having your massive dinner. Those feelings of being stuffed, bloated, uncomfortable, and maybe even a little sick come rolling in. You start to wish you hadn't eaten quite so much, and might even tell yourself that you'll never eat again...
It’s very common to eat too fast and overeat during Thanksgiving. Due to the holiday being surrounded by food, its easy to fall into the same annual routine. However, there are steps that you can take to help reduce the post-Thanksgiving dinner discomfort.
Here are a few helpful tips to help you avoid the dreaded Thanksgiving “food coma":
1. Move Around After Your Thanksgiving Meal
When you take a walk after you eat, your body is able to digest food more efficiently and quickly. By taking a simple walk after you eat, it is much more likely that you'll be able to avoid those bloated and sick feelings
Exercise also helps to control your blood sugar. Eating naturally increases the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. This glucose is then transformed into energy as you move. It is important that your blood sugar does not stay too high for too long. Walking can help burn the excess sugars after a big meal.
2. Make a Game Plan
Are you cooking this Thanksgiving? Having control over the meal gives you a great advantage in making sure that you have healthy options for dinner.
Many of the most common Thanksgiving dishes are very calorie dense, meaning that the food have a high amount of calories in a small portion size. For example: one cup of stuffing is 218 calories, compared to 31 calories in one cup of cooked broccoli.
While you should still enjoy some of the Thanksgiving staples, it's important to fill your plate with several low calorie dense foods. A great way to do that is to start with plenty of vegetables on your plate, then fill up the empty spaces with your other favorites.
And if you are attending Thanksgiving hosted by someone else? Ask them in advance if you can bring a dish to dinner. Not only will the gesture be appreciated, but it'll also give you the ability to provide a low calorie dense option to the dinner table.
3. Take Your Time (And Chew Your Food!)
While this might sound obvious, there are numerous benefits to slowing down your eating and chewing your food properly. Chewing produces enzymes in our saliva that will make digestion easier and more efficient. Having a more efficient digestion process will help prevent bloating and gastric discomfort.
When you aren't chewing your food properly, the digestion process is hindered and will not allow your body to fully absorb the important nutrients from your food.
It may be tempting to stuff your face after waiting all year for Thanksgiving, but be patient! Your body will thank you!
4. Put your Fork Down Between Bites
It takes approximately 20 minutes for your stomach to feel the effects of the food you eat. Finishing off your first plate and going back for seconds is common, but it can be hard to tell how full you actually are. A great way to slow yourself down and be mindful of your body is to put your fork down between bites.
Not only will this tip help you know when you are feeling full, but it’s going to help improve your digestion. When eating too fast, your body won’t be able to digest food as well.
Remember this: the slower you eat, the more efficient your metabolism.
5. Supplement Your Stomach with Digestive Enzymes
There are countless benefits that you get with digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes provide your stomach with added tools that are needed to support your digestive system.
The typical Thanksgiving dinner is often full of complex carbohydrates, which are difficult for the body to process in large quantities. If your stomach doesn't have the proper amount of enzymes to handle this meal, you will struggle to digest over several hours.
Taking 2 capsules before your Thanksgiving meal will help support your body with digestion and absorption of nutrients. This one simple step can help with proper digestion and prevent bloating, heartburn, constipation, and many other digestion issues.
Shop Lifetones Digestive Enzymes!
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with those special people in your life and be thankful for what you have. It is not a time to be worrying about what you are eating and how that is going to affect you later. These tips should help you be able to get back to the important parts of Thanksgiving.
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!
