Admit it, you eat a few more cookies during the holiday season than you should. The winter season is chock-full of opportunities to indulge – and by all rights, you should! Family food extravaganzas only come around a few times every year, and you should take full advantage when they do. However, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t take care to mind your health; drinking or eating too much can lead to nausea, bloat, and headaches that make you wonder if a fourth plate of food was really worth it. In this post, I’ll suggest a few ways to tackle the holiday binge without danger of bloat or sickness.
Take Post-Meal Walks
It might feel nice to sink into a couch and doze off after a hearty meal – but you probably shouldn’t. During the holidays, we often feel leaden or sluggish because we eat vastly more food but don’t move around as much as we would on a normal day. Stay clear of the couch and consider taking a post-meal stroll to stay energized during the holiday!
Avoid Heavy Snacks
Who doesn’t love snacks? It’s easy to get hungry when the smell of holiday cooking pervades the house hours before the meal is scheduled to take place. It can be tempting to snatch a piece of cheese (or the whole plate) from the side table to tide you over. However, thoughtless snacking can ultimately leave you feeling heavy and nauseas by the time the delicious food you smelled finally lands on the table. Snack carefully! Steer clear of sugars and rich foods, and stick to easily digestible snacks such as fruit.
Eat At a Reasonable Pace
Too often, we feel bloated because we scarfed our food down too quickly and without chewing it properly. Take the time to enjoy each bite, and make sure that you chew each morsel fully before swallowing. This will keep you from swallowing too much air along with your food or overtaxing your digestive system, and thus lowers your chance of feeling bloated.
Eat Smaller Portions
When we’re faced with large spreads of delicious holiday foods, it can be difficult to grab only three or four varieties. If you stuff your plate, though, you’re more likely to overindulge than if you had been conservative with your servings and gone back for more later. People will eat most (if not all) of what lands on their plate – so be thoughtful about your serving sizes!