Tips for the Holiday Season from Pennington Biomedical

Thanksgiving is a holiday of celebration, bringing together family, friends, and comfort foods. While the turkey, stuffing, and desserts are Thanksgiving staples, they often leave people feeling drowsy and sluggish. This month, the Small Shifts squad at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center are sharing small, manageable changes to support a balanced and energized holiday season.

"The best way to form a positive and healthy new habit is to make minor adjustments to our routines," said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical. "We know that long-term adherence to a new adjustment can be difficult, but any small shift in a positive direction can lead to key results down the road."

Dr. Jacob Mey, researcher and assistant professor, and Kate Blumberg, research dietitian in Dietary Assessment and Nutrition Counseling at Pennington Biomedical, share practical tips to help you enjoy your Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners without experiencing the post-feast slump.

Start your day right

Dr. Mey recommends beginning the day with a balanced, lighter meal to prevent overeating later. "Start your Thanksgiving Day with a smaller-than-usual meal—focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins," he said. "Skipping meals completely may cause excessive overeating at your Thanksgiving feast later."

Plan out the holiday meal

There are many ways to tweak your recipes to reduce the overall calories in your holiday meals. Blumberg shared the following tips to help make the feast a little healthier:

• Skip or reduce the amount of butter on your rolls and vegetables and save over 200 calories.
• Pick roasted green beans instead of creamy green bean casserole and save 200 calories.
• Swap cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries and save 370 calories.
• Substitute sweet potato casserole with plain baked sweet potato and save 350 calories.
• Have a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink and save at least 150 calories.
• Pick a small piece of pumpkin pie instead of pecan pie and save 150-300 calories.

Practice mindful eating

To help manage portions and truly enjoy your meal, Dr. Mey advises to practice mindful eating.

"One of the things you can do is practice eating mindfully, or just slow down your eating habits," he said. "A great, simple way to do this is to put down your fork between every bite and have a conversation with all the wonderful friends and family that you have at your dinner table."

Another way to eat mindfully is to consider the items you select or how you organize your plate. When building your holiday plate, Blumberg suggested using "the plate method."

"Make half your plate vegetables and fruits, a fourth of your plate lean meat and a fourth of your plate grains," she said.

It is also helpful to fill up on non-starchy vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. "That way, you won't overindulge in the higher calorie holiday treats," Blumberg said.

Introduce light exercise

A gentle walk after the Thanksgiving meal can help reduce blood sugar spikes and support energy levels.

"I'm not saying you have to go run a mile but just having a brisk walk for about 10 minutes can significantly reduce that post-meal glucose or blood sugar spike," Mey said. "And that can maybe help you with your energy levels afterwards as well."

Blumberg echoed the importance of making physical activity a part of the day.

"Plan a family football or basketball game or sign up for a turkey trot," she suggested.

Savor dessert mindfully

For those with a sweet tooth, Dr. Mey suggests choosing desserts that truly satisfy. "For dessert, eat mindfully and savor your favorite holiday foods. Pass on the items that don't make your mouth water," Mey said.

Most of all, don't let "imperfect" behavior derail your overall commitment to living well. "Even if you make what you consider to be an unhealthy choice, the whole day isn't ruined," Dr. Mey added.

With these simple strategies, Thanksgiving and the holiday season can be both a celebration and a balance.

Throughout the month, the small shifts squad is sharing more tips and advice, along with tasty, holiday-inspired recipes from the Center's Metabolic Kitchen, making it easy to stay on track while savoring the flavors of the season. Follow Pennington Biomedical on social media or sign up for the Small Shifts campaign at www.pbrc.edu/smallshifts.

Related:

What is tryptophan and ways to avoid Thanksgiving drowsiness, Q&A with Dr. Mey

Provided by Louisiana State University