5 Proven Tips To Avoid Overeating This Thanksgiving

by | Oct 8, 2019 | Nutrition, Wellness

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the extended holiday season.  It’s a time for family, friends, and delicious food. The holidays also tend to be a time of indulgence, and, while it’s great to treat yourself, you’ll want to avoid going overboard.

Many of you have likely seen the episode of Friends  – the one in which Joey eats the entire turkey, eventually changing into Phoebe’s maternity pants to ease his stomach pain.  Now, Joey’s hilarious case may have been an extreme one, but did you know…

The average Thanksgiving meal can pack a hefty 3,000 to 4,500 calories!!

If you want to spend your Thanksgiving enjoying yourself…and avoid the need for maternity pants…try these tips for a more mindful Thanksgiving feast…without depriving yourself entirely of all the delicious food.

5 proven tips for minimizing the effects of your holiday indulgences:

1 FOCUS ON THE NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS FIRST

Build your plate based on foods that will nourish and fill you up.

Visually on your plate: ½ filled with veggies, ¼ filled protein and ¼ starchy carbs.

• 1-2 cups green or non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, green salad

• ½ cup complex carbohydrates: sweet potato, carrots, squash, beets, etc.

• 3 – 6oz protein: turkey, chicken, chickpeas, fish, etc.

2 HIT THE GYM BEFORE YOUR MEAL

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being proactive! We are more likely to eat well on days when we have exercised, because we have already planted the seed of treating our bodies well.

Whether it’s going for a brisk walk, hitting the weights or doing a calorie-burning class at One Health Clubs, any sort of energy expenditure will help to balance the extra calories consumed later on that day.

3 PLATE YOURSELF

Be in control of your intake. If someone else is serving your meal, you have given them the control on food choices and portions instead of what you know will work for you.

Most people think they have to stuff themselves with a ton of food during the holidays.

Eat proportionate to how you would normally eat.

4 BRING YOUR DESSERT

Offer to bring a dessert if you are going over to family or friends.

This is a great way to keep yourself in check while staying within your dietary restrictions.

Some great healthier dessert options are:

Cinnamon-Baked Pears

Black Bean Chocolate Brownies

Joyous Health’s Chocolate Breakfast Bark

5 MINIMIZE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Alcohol contains carbohydrates that we cannot convert into energy. You are better off indulging in another serving of fibre-rich complex carbohydrates.

Kombucha is a great alternative to alcohol. Kombucha is a fermented tea which provides a rich source of probiotics that will ultimately aid in the digestion of your meal!

BONUS TIP: A quick tip for improving your digestion is drinking a teaspoon of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar – diluted in a little warm water – before your meal. It can kick-start your digestion, and, therefore, reduce indigestion.

When you’re faced with that big sit-down meal, stop before you get so full that you’re uncomfortable. Chew slowly, savour every bite and really appreciate those special dishes.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

For more healthy tips, recipes and motivation check out more of our blogs.