Let us face it, holidays are challenging and put our best laid plans to the challenge. This month we have been offering "Holiday Success Tips" to help you get to the other side of the holidays with your goals intact, minus inflammation and added weight.
We have discussed:
Be Chewsy: The benefits of chewing well.
Skip the Sip: The benefits of staying hydrated between meals.
When Nourishment Turns To Toxification: The benefits of giving the stomach all the time it needs to digest food before adding more food.
And today we will find out what the Japanese have right!
The stomach is a collapsible and expandable pouch-like sac. It is comfortably full with about 3-4 cups of food for most adults but can expand upwards to 4 quarts (1 gallon). The stomach works best when it has a modest amount of food and is not stuffed. The Japanese call this: hara hachi bu, “eating until your 75% full and then stop”.
Overeating debilitates the digestive organs and is the quickest avenue to disease. A lot of energy goes towards the digestion of a normal amount of food. When we overeat, more energy is needed and other body parts suffer, compromising their needs to relieve the demands placed upon the digestive organs. Blood becomes concentrated in the digestive organs clogging the system, creating inflammation, and silently beginning the process of disease formation. Some signs that things are out of balance may be a headache, indigestion, abdominal pain, or even a temporary stoppage of digestion or constipation.
For good health, and to reduce inflammation, good circulation and distribution of our blood is necessary. Following the tips below will help you have good circulation and less inflammation throughout the holiday season.
Pre-Meal Tips:
Make a menu plan and stick to it. Having a plan is always a good idea because you can prepare, knowing what you need and how you will execute your ideas.
Prepare only the amount that is needed. This will cut down on the temptation of, “finishing the leftovers” and pushing yourself over the comfort threshold to stuffed and uncomfortable.
Prepare high fiber, high water content foods: Fruits, vegetables, cooked whole grains/tubers, and legumes. Prepare these in a simple way, free from grease, gravies, and sugars. (You can order a Fiber Guide: a compilation of the fiber and water content of most foods). (See previous blogs: Whole Grains vs. Enriched Grains and Supplements vs. Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Part 1)
Have an accountability partner and share your plan with them. Speaking about your plan and sharing your ideas can help solidify them in your mind and allow you to make adjustments and revisions that your accountability partner might suggest, or that you had not thought about before. Two minds are always better than just one!
Ask God to help you co-operate with Him to bring your body and habits into harmony with the laws of health and physiology that He has established. He is a great accountability partner and the three of you (God, accountability partner, and you) together will make a successful team!
Drink water between meals, instead of with meals. [skip the sip LINK] This will help you stay hydrated and can help decrease the temptation to snack. Plus, it improves digestion if acids are not diluted.
If hunger pains strike and it is not time to eat, go for a quick sprint: Walk or run as fast as you can for a few minutes. This will help stimulate the liver and kidneys to breakdown some of your energy storage for fuel and will decrease your desire to snack. This will help you burn calories instead of eating them! Remember to also drink water or a cup of herbal tea (without caffeine).
At the Meal Tips:
Eat high fiber, high water content foods first. These foods will help lessen cravings for calorie rich fare providing better weight control, glucose stability, and inflammation management.
Fill at least 50-75% or more of your plate with high fiber, high water content foods.
Choose four (4) dishes for your meal. Limiting the choices will improve digestion and decrease the risk of overeating.
Control portion sizes. Eating approximately 3-4 cups of food per meal will allow you to feel comfortable and prevent the grogs from setting in.
Include 2-4 Tablespoons of nuts or seeds with your meal. This will also help decrease the temptation to snack and help sustain you until the next meal.
Dessert: If you choose to eat dessert, have it with the meal, and include it within your four (4) choices and four (4) cups. Choose one dessert with an appropriate portion size.
Hara Hachi Bu: Eat until you are 75% full and then quit eating.
After the Meal Tips:
Get up from the table and busy yourself with something else, away from the kitchen and dining room. If your job is doing the dishes, but finishing the leftovers is a temptation for you, stay away from the food for 20 minutes or so before doing them. You will have better control over that temptation by waiting.
Brush your teeth. Food does not taste as good after brushing your teeth.
Put your utensils down and cover the plate with a napkin - this is a good visual reminder that, “I’m Done!”
Remember how you felt the last time you overate and speak a positive statement to yourself: “I choose to remain comfortable.”
Go for a 10–20-minute digestive walk/stroll after the meal or participate in another outdoor activity.
Make this year’s holiday season a success by keeping your goals intact, minus increased inflammation, pain, abnormal blood levels, and without gaining weight!
Holiday Holidays,
Dana West, RDN, LD, DIPACLM
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