Yes, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with your family and loved ones, but essentially it involves getting together and feasting on foods such as roast turkey, bread stuffing, baked potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, and pumpkin pie. This popular holiday is often the busiest of the year, and people often claim they eat more food on this day than any other. Between all the delicious food, alcohol and socializing it is very easy to overindulge. Here are some tips for to enjoy Thanksgiving in a happy and healthy way:

  1. Prioritize sleep
    Good quality sleep is a must, and it is ideal to get between 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Adequate sleep is essential for many things such as healthy energy levels, healthy ageing, strong immunity, weight maintenance and rest and rejuvenation. If you are lacking in the sleep department, you are more prone to weight gain and high blood sugar. Individuals who don’t get enough sleep produce lower levels of leptin, the satiety hormone, and higher levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone; thus, contributing to hunger cravings and subsequent weight gain. If you struggle getting to sleep or staying asleep, check out Dr Cabot’s book ‘Tired of Not Sleeping?’. You may benefit from taking a magnesium supplement, to evoke relaxation and induce sleep.
  2. Manage stress levels
    Some form of stress is often unavoidable in today’s society, but when you find you are more often stressed than not, it is more important than ever to find healthy ways to manage stress. When we are stressed our body secretes large amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone which promotes weight gain and depletes magnesium levels. Magnesium is a powerful mineral that is involved in many actions such as supporting a calm and relaxed mood, stabilizing blood pressure, alleviating headaches and supporting healthy sleep. Great ways to cope with stress include yoga or meditation, listening to relaxing music, breathing exercises, reading one of your favorite books or catching up with a close friend or family member.
  3. Be organized
    For many this may seem a lot easier said than done, but having some form of organisation can be very effective for reducing stress and achieving success in life. Start by writing down a to-do list and then breaking them up in order of importance; depending on the size of the task you could aim to cross off five items per day. This way you have a visual aid of what needs to be done, and each item that is crossed off your list brings a sense of achievement. This is due to the release of dopamine, a hormone that is released by our brain when we feel even small amounts of success, and it is linked to feelings of pleasure and motivation.
  4. Get moving
    Exercise doesn’t need to be a chore, and there are plenty of fun ways to incorporate exercise into your everyday routine. If you hate the idea of getting on the treadmill, perhaps join a sports team such as soccer, football or volleyball, or sign up for gym classes with a friend. There are plenty of fun classes to choose from such as yoga, boot camp, boxing, indoor cycling, dance, Pilates and Zumba. Exercise has many benefits for our body inside and out, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing blood sugar and insulin levels, boosting the immune system, preventing weight gain, lowering stress and improving skin health. It takes 66 days to form a new habit, so if you can stay motivated for 10 weeks it will easily become part of your routine.
  5. Control portion size
    It is easy to become overwhelmed by all the delicious sweet and savory foods available during Thanksgiving weekend. But not only does eating excess food promote weight gain, it can also cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, belching and heartburn. Eating large amounts of food also places excess strain on the liver, which is our master detoxifier and primary fat-burning organ. Choose a small plate to serve your food on, and pick small portions of the foods you really want, rather than sampling everything just for the sake of it. Ensure to chew your food properly, counting 15 to 20 chews of each mouthful before going for the next bite. This allows more time for your digestive enzymes to break down food, and for your satiety hormones to signal when you are full.
  6. Pace yourself
    Thanksgiving is often a time where excess alcohol and food consumption go hand in hand, but there are ways to enjoy this holiday favourite without going overboard. If you do decide to enjoy a few drinks, keep your liver hydrated by having a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage. Also, choose “healthier” options such as vodka, lime and soda, gin and tonic or red wine. Ensure you have eaten something beforehand, as drinking on an empty stomach allows alcohol to travel straight to the brain, and also makes you more likely to binge on unhealthy foods. L-tyrosine is an amino acid that stimulates the neurotransmitters involved in motivation, satisfaction and a happy stable mood, and can reduce cravings for addictive foods and alcohol.
  7. Up your water intake
    It is very easy for people to get their hunger signals mixed up and think they are hungry when they actually need water. If you have already eaten a decent portion of food, and feel like you need a snack, have a glass of water and see if you still feel peckish. Upping your water intake can often make a big difference to your appetite. The other benefits of water include: keeping our cells hydrated to carry out their many important functions, helping to flush toxins from the body, improving skin appearance, boosting energy levels, strengthening the immune system and relieving cramps and headaches. It is recommended to drink 1.5 to 2L of water a day in the form of filtered water, herbal teas or raw juices. There are excellent juice recipes in Dr Cabot’s book ‘Raw Juices Can Save Your Life’.

If you have succumbed to the many pleasures of the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed a few too many alcoholic beverages, a great way to get yourself back on track is to do a cleanse. Follow the eating principles in Dr Cabot’s award-winning book ‘The Liver Cleansing Diet’ to get yourself back on track.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.