Thanksgiving is soon approaching, and is considered a favorite holiday by many. Anticipation this year to gather with family, watch football, and eat is perhaps heightened more so than other years simply because for many last year’s holidays were significantly altered with COVID restrictions, and perhaps didn’t happen at all. This year it almost feels like there is that push for normalcy, to return to how things were, and if anything, catch-up on what was missed…. including the FOOD.

Unlike Halloween or Christmas, Thanksgiving as a holiday tends to be focused around the food, the whole meal! In general, people tend to overeat on Thanksgiving. The average Thanksgiving meal can run anywhere from 1700-3000+ calories. The average adult only needs ~2000 calories a day. It’s difficult to avoid all those favorites, especially when we may have not had them at all last year. Many Thanksgiving foods also bring a sense of comfort…think mashed potatoes and gravy, yams with marshmallows, pumpkin or pecan pie that can lead to over indulgence. Thanksgiving foods can be higher in fat, sugar, and salt, all of which (along with the large portions) puts our digestive system into overdrive.

Our stomachs can only hold so much food, with the average stomach holding/expanding to encompass about 8 cups of food. As your stomach stretches, hormones are released signaling to your brain that you are at capacity. Often our restraint to stop eating goes out the window, despite our general feeling of uncomfortableness. With the feelings that we were deprived last year, may push us to eat even more this year. Luckily, stomach eruption tends to be rare, however that lasting gut-ache and stress put on our bodies, as well as the guilt associated with over-eating is not so fun.

Here are a few tips that may help avoid too much stuffing this Thanksgiving, as well as, not adding onto many of our added few pounds (ie. “The Covid-15”):

• Eat breakfast. I know it’s tempting to skip the beginning meal to save room for later, but if you do so, you will be starving by the time the turkey rolls out of the oven, which can lead to overeating.
• Watch the appetizers, the finger foods, the warm rolls. Finger foods give us something easy to grab to fill our mouths to avoid answering Aunt Lucy’s questions about our pandemic love life (or lack thereof). Because of their early accessibility it’s easy to be full before the main event has even started. If you are starving because you didn’t eat breakfast, go for the fresh veggie tray, or a sparkling water.
• If you are hosting, consider helping your guests out by keeping the serving dishes off the middle of the table. This prevents quick refills of the plates, plus physically requires one to get up, perhaps maneuver around some chairs, get stuck in conversation with Uncle Bob, all of which can give more time for the brain to signal: slow down.
• On this same line, try providing smaller plates, or choosing a salad plate to eat your main meal on. Smaller plates (~9” diameter) and smaller serving spoons, lead to less food in your mouth. Less room on the plate, the less food served or scooped leads to less food consumed.
• If you’re not in control of the size of the plates and serving ware, consider doing a once-over of all of the food options. If it’s food you never liked much, or could be OK with skipping, do so. For the rest of foods, consider the one tablespoon rule. Take one tablespoon of the foods you do not want to overdo it on. This can be useful to allow you to sample all the favorites, especially if at a large multi-dish or potluck style Thanksgiving.
• If it’s not taboo in your family, whip out the Tupperware, and make yourself a plate before the meal to take home later. This can include some of the special desserts. It can bring a level of comfort to know you can taste-test the lemon merengue pie later, and don’t need to fit it in all one sitting. It may also allow you dodge eating the mysterious Cranberry Fluff that cousin John brought, by saying you’ll try it at home…. later! (For the record, I love Cranberry Fluff!)
• Be aware of the drinks (alcoholic, eggnog, etc.), canned cranberry sauce, the gravy, and pecan pie. These all can contain a lot of calories, more so than you might suspect.
• Lastly, enjoy the food. Slow down, savor what you missed last year. Think about what makes Grandma’s pumpkin pie really the best.

If you end up eating more than you originally intended, and are feeling a bit blue, remember it is Thanksgiving. Be thankful you had good food, hopefully with family and friends to share it with it, and you have your health. Forgive yourself and move on. The day after Thanksgiving is a new day, and while we may not be out hitting the sales as in past years, there are still ways to get in some extra activity. Whether you go for a walk around the block with family, dig out and untangle the Christmas lights, or maybe – if there’s snow – hit the sledding hill. Happy Thanksgiving!

Taiya Bach MPH, RD, CD is a teaching faculty II and a registered dietitian nutritionist with the UW-Department of Nutritional Sciences, and a member of the CALS Wellness Committee.