CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- With Thanksgiving around the corner, you might be tempted to indulge in all that food. And one local dietitian said that's okay!
Many across the country will sit down and indulge in their favorite holiday foods. And all that food is not necessarily a bad thing.
Ellen Gipson is a registered dietitian with Square One Wellness. She says it's okay to overindulge every once in a while and have a good time with family and friends.
"So we don't want to focus on how much we're eating, but maybe more the why we're eating. And then definitely that conversation about the foods that we're eating," Gipson said. "You're not a bad person because you're eating a second piece of pie. You are a person that's enjoying your holiday."
If you have any diet restrictions, she recommends bringing your own food with you to your family gathering, as opposed to requesting the host to provide an alternative meal for one person and adding more stress while they provide all the other wonderful foods.
As far as calorie intake, she says your body won't see any immediate significant changes.
"We have to look at food and progress over several days, so it's not just your caloric intake from one day," Gipson said. "Your body's smarter than that. It knows that you ate a lot one day. You don't instantly gain 10 pounds the next day. There may be some physical weight from the fullness of your belly, but after that gets digested and processed, that weight gain or weight loss takes a long time to go either way."
She also mentioned, if you seem like you have consumed too much food, the best way to regulate your digestive system is through physical activity.
"Really, the reason for that kind of food coma terminology is really just the high intake of carbohydrates and sugars that we're eating causes our blood sugars to have some highs and some lows just from that over influx," Gipson explained. "And so that can cause some mood swings, some extra tiredness, and fatigue."
Gipson said it's also okay to just lay down and relax if you feel tired.
Overall, she said Thanksgiving is a time to just enjoy all the family and friends and get together.
