No matter what time you sit down at the table on Thanksgiving, chances are, when you walk away, you may be feeling like you overdid it. People tend to overeat on this holiday, leaving them feeling bloated and sluggish, which can make the rest of the day a little more uncomfortable. But could the time we start the feast make a difference?
In general, nutritional experts agree that it’s preferable to eat the majority of your calories earlier in the day for a couple of reasons. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University explains, “It’s easier to adjust throughout the rest of the day if you’ve overeaten at an earlier meal.” Having big meals closer to bedtime is also less ideal because you’re still really full and all that undigested food could lead to gastric reflux.
The highest percentage of Americans eat Thanksgiving dinner between 4 and 5 p.m., according to a new survey, but you may want to move your meal up so you have more time for your body to digest before going to bed. But registered dietitian Kelley Bradshaw points out that if you want to avoid any post-meal discomfort, what you eat and the amount of it matters much more than the time you eat it. “If you had a giant Thanksgiving meal that was three servings of everything at lunchtime, you’re probably going to be feeling pretty uncomfortable,” she explains. “Whereas if you ate at 5 or 6p.m. but just had one serving of everything and balanced everything out, you might feel OK just because it’s the quantity of things.”
Source: Huff Post