1. Talk More, Eat Less
Thanksgiving is the great time for family and friends to get together. Every day we are busy with our own stuff, so it’s a great time for you to catch up with your loved ones. Chatting with people at the Thanksgiving dinner table not only helps you get social, but also healthy. When you talk, you slow down with eating, and it gives your brain time to detect your fullness and let you stop eating. When you eat slowly, you’ll get a chance to enjoy great flavors than just stuffing yourself to maximum capacity with all the food.
2. Light Food Goes First
Turkey is a must and stuffing is appealing. However, try to fill yourself up with lighter dishes first, such as salad and veggies. Sweet potatoes have a great mixture of fiber and vitamins, and a pinch (just a pinch and no butter needed) of brown sugar makes it delicious. When you have a good food base in your stomach, you won’t clean up your plate in seconds like a storm. Instead, you can slowly enjoy all the great flavors melting in your mouth.
3. Go for Sweets, YES!
Instead of trying to find reasons to persuade yourself from desserts, I say go for it. BUT, keep portion control in mind, it is the key. A small piece of pie, a scoop of ice cream or a small bowl of chocolate pudding won’t kill you. You probably have been waiting for them for a long time. Have some but limit it to a small portion. Other than that, remember to have some coffee along with your desserts. A study showed that caffeine generates a greater thermic effect, which increases energy expenditure, basal metabolic rate and fat oxidation.1 At the same time, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant and reduces the sleepiness after turkey consumption.
4. Move Around after a Meal
After your great meal, take a 15 to 20-minute walk. Walking after a meal helps you increase your metabolism and burn off any excess calories from the meal. If you don’t like walking by yourself, ask your family and friends, or even take your pets to join you. You are helping them stay healthy too! If you still feel walking is too boring for you, then do something else. Help clean the table, put away stuff, do the dishes or take out trash. There is always something better to do than just sitting down and watching TV.- Westerterp-Plantenga. Green tea catechins, caffeine and body-weight regulation. Physiology & Behavior. 2010; 100 (1): 42–46.
