Amanda Kilduff, RD, talks about three simple tips to not overeat this Thanksgiving!

1. Be mindful of your hunger and satiety cues. Holiday meals usually mean large portions of home cooked meals and desserts. This often results in overeating at meals to get a taste of everything to enjoy. While building your plate, take notice of how hungry you are and portion accordingly. Keep in mind you can always have seconds of your favourite dishes if you are still hungry. Perhaps you will want to leave room for the different types of dessert.

2. Eat your favorite food first! Clients are often surprised to hear this strategy, however, it can be a game changer in your meal enjoyment. Think of it this way, if you ate your favorite food first and all you had left on your plate are foods that you cared less for, it would be easier to stop when your satiety cues kick in and you won’t feel as though you need to necessarily finish your plate.

3. Eat throughout the day before the Thanksgiving meal. It may sound logical to skip an earlier meal to treat yourself to the typically large Thanksgiving meal, however, it’s best to eat a variety of foods earlier on to keep your metabolism in check, blood sugars normal, and lower your risk of being hungry. Therefore you can simply enjoy the family meal whenever it is time to eat.

Happy Thanksgiving!