5 Steps to Make Sure You Don’t Overeat This Holiday Season
Updated: Dec. 19, 2018
Planning to stuff yourself like a turkey? Take these steps if you want to avoid the post-dinner bloat.
Step 1: Start your meal with water
Before you sit down for dinner or begin noshing on hors d’oeuvres, drink a tall glass of water, which will help you feel full faster so you don’t overeat.
Step 2: Slow down dinner
Hosting a three-course meal? Break it up with activities between each course. For example, sing carols after appetizers and exchange gifts before dessert.
Step 3: Finish with herbal tea
Ginger and peppermint can help with digestion, gas and bloating, plus both flavours are a bit festive (hello, gingerbread and candy canes), so the herbal teas are the perfect ending to a holiday meal. For more of a post-dinner drink, try this Spiced Ginger Kombucha Cocktail.
Step 4: Don’t lie down
Your first thought might be to head to the couch, but going horizontal can provoke heartburn because when gravity isn’t keeping it down, stomach acid can rise up.
Step 5: Take a walk
A post-dinner stroll helps burn some of the calories you just consumed, lowers your blood sugar and stimulates digestion. But avoid strenuous exercise that will divert blood flow away from your stomach. Next, read up on the 10 best ways to stay calm amid the holiday chaos.
