How to Fight Your Thanksgiving Food Coma

Thanksgiving is arguably the biggest meal of the whole year. We get together with our near and dear ones, give thanks, and of course, EAT! We fill up on hearty turkey, heaping helpings of delicious pies of all sorts, mashed potatoes, and much more. Soon after, you’re not just stuffed to the brim, but you also get hit hard with a severe case of sleepiness, also known as the ‘food coma.’ While you may think nothing of it, those effects of consuming a large, often fatty meal, can have greater health consequences than just falling asleep early. Here, we thought that it might be a good time to share some tips on how you can still enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and not have to face those consequences. What happens when you get a food coma? After you eat a large meal, the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for increasing instestinal activity, tells your body to slow down and digest. The more you eat, the more the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, causing your body to focus energy on digestion. In addition, there is more of an increase in blood flow to your core, and less to the rest of the body, which causes a feeling of tiredness. How can you prevent food coma? Just because it’s Thanksgiving, doesn’t mean that you should eat like there’s no tomorrow! Follow this simple guide, and you can keep your energy going and your mind fresh. 1. Don’t Fast. If you are trying to save as much room as possible in your stomach for dinner, don’t skip out on breakfast and lunch. Most likely, this will only cause you to overeat later on. Instead, it is recommended that you eat small, sensible, healthy meals.   2. Exercise On Thanksgiving day, you’ll surely be busy all day prepping for the family feast. But, before you even start working in the kitchen in the morning, do a nice, light workout, like a 30-minute walk. Even after dinner, encourage your guests to take a walk. This will help burn some of the food calories and will also aid in digestion.   3. Slow Down Thanksgiving may be the most memorable meal you have of the year, but remember that it’s not your last meal on earth! It’s important to take your time, and savor every bite of every dish. This is not just for the sake of your health, but it’s also so you can appreciate the effort that went into the cooking! In addition, it’s a good idea to use smaller plates, as it has been shown that this helps us eat less by giving the impression of having larger portions.   4. Eat More Protein & Less Carbohydrates Try to cut down on the potatoes, breads, and rice, and eat more proteins and healthy fats.   5. Drink Plenty of Water By drinking more water, throughout the day, you will get somewhat filled  up, preventing you from eating excessively, gaining weight, and getting constipation.   6. Indulge (a little bit) You most likely won’t have a completely balanced, light meal for Thanksgiving dinner, and that’s ok. You can have treats, but, as hard as it may be, try to restrict yourself to only a couple. Keep all of this in mind, as you get ready for a satisfying bounty of yummy food on Thanksgiving night. From all of your friends at CoffeeAM, we wish you a very happy holiday, filled with fun (and coffee)!