Thanksgiving is about being thankful for friends, family, and good health. But you can’t forget about the food – so much food.
Don’t panic though if you’re worried about sticking to your health and fitness goals on Thursday. We’re going to help make sure you enjoy the holiday while staying on track.
Thanksgiving Game Plan
Here are a few critical nutrition tips to keep in mind this time of year.
First, eat foods higher in protein and fat. If you’re eating sweets (which is inevitable during the holidays), then consuming these high protein and high fat foods will slow the release of insulin. This will help you:
- keep the weight off,
- stay awake (even after eating your share of turkey), and
- will make you feel full faster so you won’t be hit by those third-serving regrets.
Second, work your muscles just before and a couple hours after indulging. This will help ensure the sugar you consume goes to your muscles and isn’t stored as fat. Focus on activating major muscle groups through compound (multi-joint) movements to keep those Thanksgiving favorites from turning into unwanted pounds.
Turkey Is Your Friend
A lot of blame goes to turkey for making you sleepy at Thanksgiving. But it’s really those pies and other sweets at work.
The levels of the infamous, sleep-inducing tryptophan are as high in turkey as they are in a hamburger. But those sugary marshmallow-covered yams, stuffing and cranberry sauce make it easier for that tryptophan to knock you out.
So when you’re sitting down at a table about to collapse with Thanksgiving classics, choose wisely – to stay awake and keep the weight off:
- Load up on turkey and gravy (no Thanksgiving meal is complete without them and they’ll help you stay stick to The Platform nutrition plan, especially if you use this Platform gravy recipe below)
- Pile on brussel sprouts and any other veggies you can find (with plenty of butter to make them delicious and help you feel full)
- Enjoy a modest amount of sweet potatoes (use butter instead of marshmallows and brown sugar to keep them delicious)
- Aim for water with lemon (or maybe some vodka if you’re in the mood) in place of apple cider
We want you to keep you on the right track, but remember, you can enjoy yourself and eat well if you stick to The Platform plan. Remember to make good health decisions next week, which includes enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday!
