The cooler temperatures this time of year signals the change of seasons in our Northern climate, jump starting a flurry of activity at work as the fiscal year draws to a close. It also ushers in the major holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving, leading into the Christmas season. Canadians, the industrious lot that we are, hold our Thanksgiving in early October, a full month before our American neighbors. The reason of which still escapes me, but I do have some friends who love to be in the tradition of celebrating both. Add in a sprinkle of jewish heritage, with the New Year Celebrations just past and you have a triple play for endulging in gastromonic delights. A few things to keep in mind to avoid some of the guilt of facing your personal trainer in the near future.
Holiday 7
The prerequisite of celebrating the holidays is an abundance of food. Thanksgiving, is afterall the time of year when we give thanks for the bountiful crops which we received. A whole holiday dedicated to food. Even as we were preparing our Thanksgiving dinner, my mother was in her garden gathering vegetables for the table. However, the danger is in the overindulgence of all that bounty.
The term "Holiday 7" refers to the number of pounds that Americans supposedly gain during the six week period between Thanksgiving, which they celebrate in late November, and New Years. The label may be an exaggeration, but it has a basis in reality. A study in 2000 of 195 adlts in the Boston area found that the average weight gain over the winter holiday season was almost one pound. However, 14% of overweight or obese people gained about five pounds. And among all those tested, the holiday gluttony accounted for about half of a person's yearly weight gan.
How to Avoid the Pounds
Apparently starving yourself before the big feast only makes matters worse, so a more reasonable approach is to cut a few calorie corners where you can. If you are preparing the meal you can cut back on those nasty fats (i.e. butter, creams) used the food preparation and there are plenty of sources for recipe ideas out there now to help you out. If you are one of us singles who dines at some of the finest establishments in town, namely at family and friends, and just cut down on the portion sizes. Definately check out your local running clubs for "Turkey Trot" events to make use of all those carbs and to use that healthy outlet for unwinding from a dinner with relatives.
About the Drowsy Turkey Syndrome
There is a popular myth that turkey makes us sleepy. This argument is based on the argument that turkey meat contains tryptophan, a chemical which eventually breaks down into melatonin, which is a natural sleeping pill. However, turkey contains no more, tytophan than chicken or even tofu. In fact, turky as another amino acid, tyrosine, which is a mild stimulant, so it should offset the sleep factor.
So, essentially, the problem is the amount of food that we are consuming. It is not unusual for a Thanksgiving Dinner to top 3,000 calories, substantially more than the total daily requirement for most people. Eating a lot makes us sleepy because your body is busy sending it's blood supply to deal with having to digest all that food you sent down. Your skin gets cooler, you curl up to warm yourself, and the cozy factor makes you sleepy.
So pace yourself as you make your final holiday preparations, gluttony requires some serious training and not for those without the proper training.
Comments