Thanksgiving Tips: Avoid that Too-Full Feeling
Could this be the year you break your pattern of eating so much on Thanksgiving that you fear your belly may burst?
Don't worry: bellies rarely burst, even when we fill them way past their normal capacity of 1 to 2 cups of food. But you can avoid that worry, and a lot of discomfort and regret, by taking these tips from Joan Salge Blake, a professor of nutrition at Boston University.
"You need to learn to outsmart your stomach," Salge Blake says. Knowing a few facts can help you enjoy a meal that won't leave you feeling bloated:
- Fat flummoxes digestive enzymes and makes food linger longer in the stomach.
- Fiber, which the stomach can't digest, can help speed food through your system.
- Liquid leaves the stomach more swiftly than solids.
So, Salge Blake says, trimming fat from the meal while adding fiber and liquid (to fill you up fast and speed digestion) can go a long way toward avoiding the "agita" you feel after a large meal. As she notes in today's "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" column, serving your meal in courses can help. Start with a broth-based, vegetable-filled soup, then clear the table. Next up: a salad with low-fat dressing. By the time you clear that second course, everyone's bellies will have received signals from the brain (this takes 20 minutes) that they're already starting to feel satisfied, keeping folks from mindlessly devouring the rest of the meal.
More advice from Salge Blake on a healthier Thanksgiving that won't leave you loosening your belt:
- Eat breakfast: Don't starve yourself during the day. Otherwise, you'll be so ravenous come turkey time you'll stuff yourself silly.
- Move the mealtime: Eat at 1:00 instead of 4:00, Salge Blake recommends. Wait till it's late and you may find yourself saying, "It's a long time between breakfast and 4:00. I'm noshing!," she says. "The absolute worst that will happen," she says, "is that we may be hungry again at 6:00. So you pull it all out again then" to eat when your stomach is really ready for more.
- Allocate alcohol: Nothing kills willpower like too much to drink. If alcohol is part of your celebration, sip wine with your meal; don't imbibe on an empty stomach.
Finally, Salge Blake says, "Remember, this is not the Last Supper. It's not the last time you'll ever see turkey and mashed potatoes. This is America. If you want to make turkey in July, make turkey in July!"
Have a terrific Thanksgiving, and enjoy every bite. But before you dig in, how about sharing your strategies for enjoying a satisfying meal without overdoing it?
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