Remember when Thanksgiving was one day? Nowadays with "Friendsgivings" and fridges full of leftovers, it’s a long weekend of sugar-sweetened potatoes, puff pastry, and pie that can increase cravings and derail healthy eating for weeks (not to mention the feast marks the inevitable beginning of holiday party season). Unfortunately, the damage goes deeper than just increased cravings. Overdoing the starch and sugar can elevate baseline fasting blood sugar for days after the weekend’s festivities.
Risks of elevated blood glucose.
Elevated fasting blood glucose is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, metabolic syndrome, and pre-diabetes along with elevated triglycerides and cholesterol. But you don’t even need to hit pre-diabetic glucose numbers (100 and 126 mg/dl.) to put yourself at risk. A review of all of the pre-diabetic and diabetic scientific research confirmed that even elevated blood sugar in the normal range puts you at risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage, dementia, and cancer. The normal fasting glucose range is considered 80 to 100 mg/dl., but the risks start as low as 90mg/dl.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to mitigate your blood sugar response. Use these tips today or throughout the holiday season to get a mini-boost of health and hormone balancing.
Wake up and hydrate.
Wake up and drink two large glasses of water to help flush out your system and lower blood glucose levels. It's especially important if you have been drinking alcohol and might be dehydrated. When you’re dehydrated, the volume of blood decreases, and the blood glucose remains the same, meaning you have more concentrated blood sugar. Drinking water (I recommend 10 glasses a day post-holiday) can increase blood volume and decrease glucose concentration.
Move your body!
Start your Monday morning with a fasted workout to help bring glucose levels down. Intermittent fasting is a great way to mitigate your hormonal responses throughout the season (without giving up on indulgences), and adding in a workout increases the benefits (if you want help figuring out the best type of intermittent fasting for your body, check out this piece). Pick your favorite workout and get moving to burn up stored glycogen in your muscles and bring down elevated blood glucose. No need to HIIT your way back into balance (a gentle yoga flow is fine), but movement is mandatory to burn up elevated glucose.
Sip yourself back into balance!
Opt to shut down lingering cravings post-holiday with a protein-, fat-, and fiber-based green smoothie! Protein, fat, and fiber all support blood sugar balance by slowing the absorption rate of glucose and form the basis of my Fab 4, which I talk about in my book Body Love: Live in Balance, Weigh What You Want, and Free Yourself From Food Drama Forever.
Unfortunately, one of the side effects of high blood glucose is increased hunger, so a protein-, fat-, and fiber-based meal can not only lower cravings but also satisfies cravings by calming over eight hunger hormones in the body.
Don't blend up a smoothie loaded with fruit and dates along with the protein, or you will be defeating the purpose of it. The goal is to go low-sugar and low-starch to bring elevated glucose down.
Spa Smoothie
Ingredients
-
¼ avocado
-
2 tablespoons chia or flaxseeds
-
1 small Persian cucumber
-
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
-
1 handful of spinach
-
1 lemon, freshly juiced
-
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
-
2 cups unsweetened nut milk
Method
Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Looking to use leftovers? Roasted carrots can easily be added to a carrot cake smoothie recipe.
Enjoy the nonstarchy leftovers.
Avoid the starchy leftovers after the weekend. Opt to enjoy only the protein and nonstarchy vegetable leftovers by making an Italian Turkey Chop Salad. You can easily repurpose the leftovers in a fresh new way by focusing on the Thanksgiving dishes that bring phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals! By Monday, you shouldn’t still be munching on pie or potatoes, especially with your fasting blood glucose in mind.
Thanksgiving Leftover Chop Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients, Salad
-
4 heads iceberg lettuce, chopped
-
4 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
-
4 cups spinach, chopped
-
2 cup radicchio, cored and chopped
-
3 cups turkey, chopped fine (extra bird!)
-
1 celery rib, thinly sliced (hopefully leftover from stuffing!)
-
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
-
1 cup grape tomatoes
-
2 cups of leftover roasted vegetables (Brussels sprouts, carrots, etc.)
-
½ cup pitted green or kalamata olives
-
8 pepperoncini peppers
-
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)
Ingredients, Salad Dressing
-
¼ cup olive oil
-
2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise
-
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-
1 teaspoon minced garlic
-
½ teaspoon dried oregano
-
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a large bowl, gently toss together salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together and then drizzle dressing over salad.
Challenge your squad to clean it up!
Coming down from the sugar high of the holidays can be hard. Team up with a few friends to commit to a few workouts this week. Committing to meet up with a friend will increase your chance of getting to the gym. You might not be big on meal prep, but today is the day to get serious. Either meal prep no-sugar and low-carbohydrate meals for the rest of the week, or simply plan your takeout meals so you don’t get caught extra hungry and emotionally order the lasagna. Opt for super-fresh and vegetable-heavy meals that include protein, fat, and fiber like Thai lettuce cups or soup and salad.
Want an extra boost? Try these three digestion-boosting tonics and these detox soups.
Article originally published on Mind Body Green: Holiday Mini Cleanse
