You can avoid food comas during the holidays by exercising and having a plan before the holidays, stocking up on vegetables and mindfully enjoying treats. These tips will help prevent post-meal fatigue and keep you feeling great after the feast.Holiday meals are meant to be joyful occasions. But that joy can quickly fade when you sink onto the couch, stuffed, ready for an unplanned nap. Fortunately, you can still enjoy the foods you love without falling victim to the dreaded “food coma.”Here are seven holiday nutrition tips to help you enjoy every bite without feeling sore later, according to metabolic researcher and associate professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University. Sam Emerson, PhD.
This is how you prevent a food coma during the holidays
1. Do a workout before meals
Emerson’s research shows that exercising before a big holiday meal helps your body handle the party more efficiently, even if you exercise hours before dinner.“You could exercise in the morning, eat a really big meal that night and still see the benefits of your previous workout in terms of how your body processes the meal, which is pretty incredible,” says Emerson.Research shows that exercising approximately the previous day (12-18 hours before eating) actually:
- Help stabilize blood sugar levels after a heavy meal by allowing your body to use insulin more effectively
- Help your body process fats more efficiently, leading to lower blood lipids (fats) after meals
- Stimulate your body to burn more fat in the hours after meals (fat oxidation)
And you don’t have to run a marathon to get results. If your party takes place in the evening, consider:
- Take a morning walk
- Perform a quick strength workout
- Go for a bike ride
You’ll probably feel better later, even if you enjoy it.
2. Go in with a plan
When you’re sitting at a table full of nostalgic favorites, it’s easy to pile “just a little more” onto your plate. But this often leads directly to overeating and food coma.According to Emerson, eating food that is not nutritious is often part of celebrating, but it can become problematic if we don’t make an effort. curb waste.” “We need to make a plan about how active we’re going to be, how much we’re going to eat and whether we’re going to allow ourselves dessert,” he says. A little advance planning can help prevent the familiar “I screwed up, so I might as well keep eating” mentality from taking over. “That way you’ll know later not to eat a second piece of cake because you’ve already eaten the one piece of cake you were supposed to get,” Emerson adds.
3. Start with vegetables
When rich foods are at the center of your plate, you can quickly gain weight. Eating non-starchy vegetables first, such as salad or baked Brussels sprouts, can help you pace yourself and feel more satisfied.Fiber-rich vegetables help slow the rise in blood sugar levels and promote a more stable release of energy, which means less intense fatigue after meals. Plus, they help you eat less.Emerson says that if you fill your plate with vegetables first, you can reduce your total calorie intake by as much as 10 percent.
4. Limit heavier dishes
It’s not just dessert that causes holiday fatigue. Many beloved staples are surprisingly high in calories and can quickly put your system into recovery mode:
- Filling: About 350 calories per cup
- Mashed potatoes: about 250 calories per cup
- Eggnog: About 450 calories per cup
“If you drink two cups [of eggnog]That’s almost 1,000 calories, which is about half the recommended amount for a moderately active person for the entire day,” warns Emerson.So stick to a smaller portion of the high-calorie foods you love most, and skip the rest.
5. Give your body time to register that it is full
It can take 10 to 20 minutes for your body’s fullness signals to reach your brain. That means if you go back a few seconds too quickly, you could end up eating way more than you need.Take a moment to breathe before taking another serving. You would:
- Chat
- Drink water
- Just relax for a few minutes and see if you want more
6. Choose dessert wisely
Good news for dessert lovers: you don’t have to skip your favorite dish altogether. Emerson encourages moderation, and a little knowledge can help you make your choices. Certain desserts contain more calories than others, which may contribute to post-meal fatigue weight gain. From the traditional holiday cakes:
- Pecan is the most calorie dense; a small slice (⅛ of a pie) contains about 500 calories
- The same portion of pumpkin pie contains about 320 calories
- Sweet potato pie contains just under 300 calories
Serve yourself a piece of sweet potato or pumpkin for a lighter option. Or, if pecan pie is your favorite, enjoy it – just do it mindfully. Sometimes half a slice is enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.
7. Keep treats out of sight between meals
“If you put candy somewhere you walk past it several times a day, no matter how hard you try, you’re going to reach for that brownie every now and then,” Emerson warns.And every time you snack, you give your body another blood sugar spike, which can make you feel sluggish throughout the day.Layer treats between meals so your body has time to process one round before the next begins.
Final thoughts
Traditional, delicious dishes are part of the holiday fun, but you don’t have to end the day tired.By fitting in a workout, making a plan, starting with vegetables, pausing between portions and choosing dessert consciously, you can enjoy your favorites without ending up in a food coma.“In general, I recommend focusing on being with family and friends,” says Emerson. “Food is part of the holidays, but if we strive to make it more about enjoying time with people and less about eating a lot, it can help us make more beneficial decisions for our health.”Intentionally dive into your favorites, savor the memories, and skip the part where you melt into the couch.
References:Postprandial lipemic and inflammatory responses to high-fat meals: a review of the role of acute and chronic exerciseA single pre-meal strength training session improves postprandial glucose metabolism in obese men with prediabetes – PMCTactical practice to manage post-meal glucose spikes – PMCThe effect of moderate-intensity exercise in the postprandial period on the inflammatory response to a high-fat meal: an experimental study – PMCThe ironic effects of dietary restriction in situations that undermine self-regulation – PMCEating vegetables first: using portion sizes to increase vegetable intake in preschoolers1 – PMCEffect of nutrient composition in a mixed meal on the postprandial glycemic response in healthy people: a preliminary study – PMCCalories and fat in popular holiday dishesGlycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) and dietary interventions for optimizing postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with T2 diabetes: a review – PMCDoes a slower eating pace reduce food intake? Results of an empirical test | Request PDF fileEffect of proximity to snacks and food on intake in general population samples with higher and lower cognitive resources – PMC