Should I arrive at the holiday meal hungry?

No, it's advised to not arrive at the holiday meal hungry. This is because if you arrive famished, after a day of depriving yourself, you're more likely to eat more than you planned. You should eat your meals as usual that day, then arrive at the dinner table ready to eat a normal-sized portion.

When should I stop eating?

Stop eating when you feel full and satisfied. You should leave the table at this point. Focus on enjoying the company and the event, rather than overeating.

How can maintaining a healthy diet help women experiencing perimenopause?

A balanced diet helps in maintaining hormonal balance, which can alleviate some of the symptoms of perimenopause. Eating healthy can also help manage weight gain often associated with menopause and improve overall well-being.

Thanksgiving And Holiday Dinner Tips

Q: What foods should I favor at the dinner table?

At the dinner table, favor salads and vegetables over bread, stuffing, or fatty foods. The vegetables will increase your fiber intake, which will affect satiety and long-term fullness. Be cautious about dressings, as they can be dense with sugar, salt, and fats.

Q: How can I manage portion control at a dinner with many dishes?

If there are many dishes served, try a small portion—1 tablespoon of each. That will give you the chance to take a second portion if you liked anything in particular. You can always take some leftovers with you for the next day.

HappyThanksgiving2 — Fabulous Healing Portland Holistic Nutritionist

Thanksgiving Day and the holiday weekend can be highly challenging for those who keep their food intake clean or are simply trying to lose/maintain weight. Traditional Thanksgiving Day can easily encourage consumption of 5,000 kcal from foods and drinks. If you are wishing to avoid this pitfall, here are 5 tips for you:

Tip #1: Do not arrive at the table hungry.

Do not arrive at the holiday meal hungry. Instead of limiting your daily calorie consumption that day, it will be just the opposite. When we arrive hungry at the table, after a day of depriving ourselves, we will most likely eat more than we planned and/or eat things we didn’t plan to eat at all! It takes our stomach about 20 minutes to signal satiety to our brain, so take into consideration that we are prone to eating way more than usual before we will feel any sign of fullness. For that reason, I advise you to eat your meals, as usual, that day and then arrive at the dinner table ready to eat a normal-sized plate.

Tip #2: Choose water.

Choose water over alcoholic beverages. Limiting your alcohol consumption not only helps you limit calories but also allows you to make better food decisions.

Tip #3: Choose veggies.

Once you are at the dinner table, favor salads and vegetables over bread, stuffing, or fatty foods. The vegetables will increase your fiber intake, which will affect satiety and long-term fullness. Practice extra caution about dressings, for they can be dense with sugar, salt, and fats a combination that isn’t ideal for our body.

Tip #4: Portion control.

If there are many dishes served on the table, and you wish to try a few of them, my suggestion would be to try a small portion—1 tablespoon of each. That will give you the chance to take a second portion if you liked anything in particular. And remember, you can always take some leftovers with you for the next day. Keeping that in mind will allow you to release any thoughts that you are missing anything.

Tip #5: Know when to quit.

Lastly, and most importantly, when you do feel full and satisfied, quit eating and leave the table. Enjoy the company of those who are celebrating with you. Be thankful and appreciate a good conversation, some laughter, or maybe even a fun family game. Happy Thanksgiving!!