If you go to college a long way from home, Thanksgiving may be the first home cooked meal you’ve had in a while, so it’s understandable that you might have eaten half your weight in stuffing. If you’re feeling (and looking) sufficiently stuffed yourself, Her Campus has compiled a list of ways to banish that food baby.
1. Eat Slowly
This one can help you avoid the food baby altogether – eating slowly will help you realize when your stomach is full and keep you from swallowing excess air between inhaling green bean casserole. We know you waited all year to taste some of these awesome holiday foods again, but savor them!
2. Portion Control
The sectioned styrofoam plates the host bought for easy clean-up after you all go home can come in handy if you pay attention to the sections. Typically, the smaller sections should be reserved for proteins, like your turkey (and stuffing, of course), and starches, like mashed potatoes and casseroles. The largest one should be for vegetables, and it’s totally okay to count green been casserole as a veggie on Thanksgiving. Live a little. If you find that you’re wanting to place an extra plate underneath your first one for added stability, maybe scale back a little…and think of the environment with all that styrofoam!
3. Brew a Cup of Hot Tea
Your metabolism adores green tea, so while the rest of your family settles down into couches and chairs for a little nap before Thanksgiving Round Two, make a cup of tea. You won’t instantly notice your food baby disappearing, but the tea will speed up your digestion of all the food you’ve had and make you feel all warm and cozy inside.
4. Try Some Yoga
I can give a reason that any person, any time, anywhere, should do some yoga. Stressed? Yoga. Can’t sleep? Yoga. Food baby? YOGA. There are different sequences that will offer different benefits, but my favorite for aiding in digestion is brought to you by the lovely Adriene over at Yoga with Adriene on Youtube, linked below. Bonus points if you can get the rest of your family up and moving with you–it may lead to laughter and stories that will be told at every family gathering afterwards!
5. Embrace That Food Baby
I’m not saying you should shovel food into your mouth until you feel like dying, but a food baby can happen to even those with washboard abs. Humans love food, and there’s nothing like the first holiday meal of the season at Thanksgiving. As long as you’re not treating every meal like it’s Thanksgiving, you’ve got every right in the world to go all-out on Turkey Day.