Wellness Wednesday On The Blog

The Dangers

‘Healthy’ and ‘Thanksgiving’ are probably the last two words you think about saying in the same sentence. That used to be me. But that super stuffed feeling you get after you went back up for seconds and had a few drinks is actually stress on your body’s organs.

Ever wonder why you feel sleepy after a large meal? That’s because your body is shunting majority of its blood flow to your gut, where it is needed to process all the food. That leaves less oxygenated blood to give you the energy to bounce around. All you can do it sit. This is actually not good news for you.

What’s happening is that your heart is pumping blood on overdrive to reach your intestines. Your pancreas is pumping out insulin like crazy to lower your blood sugar. And your liver can hardly keep up with breaking down the fat and detoxifying your food.

Pro Tips

• Have breakfast! Avoid the urge to fast all day waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be served. You will be more likely to pig out if you feel like you’re starving.
• Watch your portions. Sometimes, your eyes are bigger than your stomach. If you’re anything like me, the only thing you leave on your plate is your fork, whether you took too much or not! So start off modest. And give yourself time to see if you still want more. Talk to family, engage in conversation. You will realize that you are actually satisfied.
• Do something active after dinner. Go outside, walk the dog, check the mail. Ok, maybe not check the mail, LOL. Encourage your family to play pictionary or taboo. Do something other than get right on the couch and veg out. It will be fun and you’ll actually feel better.

I love Thanksgiving as much as the next person. It’s actually my favorite holiday! But it’s more than about the food. Let’s remember what Thanksgiving is really all about. It’s about being grateful & giving thanks. Not about who can have gastric distress the fastest. The leftovers will still be good on Friday! Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving ya’ll!!!

Vanessa Taylor, BSN, RN