How to Avoid Food Coma This Season, According to a Doctor

You can avoid food comas this holiday season by exercising and having a plan before holiday get-togethers, loading up on veggies, and enjoying treats mindfully. These tips help prevent post-meal fatigue and keep you feeling good after the feast.Holiday meals are meant to be joyful occasions. But that joy can fade fast when you end up slumped over on the couch, stuffed, ready for an unplanned nap. Fortunately, you can still enjoy the foods you love without falling victim to the dreaded holiday “food coma.”Here are seven holiday nutrition tips to help you savor every bite without suffering later, according to metabolic researcher and Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University, Sam Emerson, PhD.

How to avoid food coma this holiday season

1. Grab a pre-meal workout

Emerson’s research shows that exercising before a big holiday meal helps your body handle the feast more efficiently–even if you workout hours before dinner.“You could exercise in the morning, eat a really large meal that evening, and still see benefits from your earlier exercise in terms of how your body processes the meal, which is pretty incredible,” Emerson says.Studies confirm working out within roughly the previous day (12-18 hours before eating) can actually:

• Help stabilize blood sugar after a big meal by enabling your body to use insulin more effectively
• Help your body process fats more efficiently, leading to lower post-meal blood lipids (fats)
• Encourage your body to burn more fat in the hours following the meal (fat oxidation)

And you don’t need to run a marathon to get results. If your feast is at night, consider:

• Taking a morning walk
• Doing a quick strength-training routine
• Going on a bike ride

You’re likely to feel better later, even if you indulge. 

2. Go in with a plan

When you’re sitting at a table full of nostalgic favorites, it’s easy to keep piling “just a little more” onto your plate. But this often leads straight into overeating and food coma.According to Emerson, “Eating food that is not nutritious is commonly part of celebrating, but it can become problematic if we make no effort to curb the splurging.” “We need to go in with a plan for how active we’re going to be, how much we’re going to eat, and whether we’ll allow ourselves dessert,” he says. A little planning upfront can help prevent that familiar “I blew it, so I might as well keep eating” mindset from taking over. “That way, you can know later to not eat a second piece of pie because you already ate the one piece of pie you were going to have,” Emerson adds.

3. Start with vegetables

When rich foods are front-and-center on your plate, you might get weighed down quickly. Loading up on non-starchy vegetables–like salad or sauteed Brussels sprouts–first can help you pace yourself and feel more satisfied.High-fiber veggies help slow the rise in blood sugar and promote a steadier release of energy, which means less intense fatigue after the meal. Plus, they help you eat less.Emerson says if you fill your plate with vegetables first, you could cut your total calorie intake by up to 10 percent.

4. Limit heavier dishes

It’s not just dessert that triggers holiday fatigue. Many beloved staples are surprisingly calorie-dense and can send your system into recovery mode quickly:

• Stuffing: Roughly 350 calories per cup
• Mashed potatoes: About 250 calories per cup
• Eggnog: Approximately 450 calories per cup

“If you drink two cups [of eggnog], that’s nearly 1,000 calories, which is about half a moderately active person’s recommended intake for the whole day,” Emerson warns.So stick to one smaller portion of the high-calorie foods you love most, and skip the rest.

5. Give your body time to register that it’s full

Your body’s fullness signals can take 10 to 20 minutes to reach your brain. That means if you go back for seconds too quickly, you may end up eating far more than you need.Before grabbing another serving, take a breather. You might:

• Chat
• Sip water
• Simply relax for a few minutes to see if you still want more

6. Choose dessert wisely

Good news, dessert lovers: you don’t have to skip your favorite course entirely. Emerson encourages moderation, and a little knowledge can help guide your choices. Certain desserts pack more calories than others, potentially contributing to post-meal fatigue, as well as weight gain. Of the traditional holiday pies:

• Pecan is the most calorie-dense; a small slice (⅛ of a pie) contains roughly 500 calories
• The same portion of pumpkin pie has about 320 calories
• Sweet potato pie comes in at just under 300 calories

Serve yourself a piece of sweet potato or pumpkin for a lighter option. Or, if pecan pie is your favorite, enjoy it–just do it mindfully. Sometimes half a slice is all it takes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

7. Keep treats out of sight between meals

“If you leave sweets out where you’ll walk past them several times a day, no matter how hard you try, you’re going to grab that brownie every now and then,” Emerson cautions.And every time you snack, you’re giving your body another blood sugar spike, which can leave you feeling more sluggish as the day goes on.Put treats away between meals so your body has time to process one round before the next starts.

Final thoughts

Traditional, indulgent dishes are part of the holiday fun–but you don’t have to end the day feeling fatigued.By fitting in a workout, making a plan, starting with veggies, pausing between helpings, and choosing dessert mindfully, you can enjoy your favorites without slipping into a food coma.“Overall, I recommend trying to focus on being with family and friends,” Emerson says. “Eating is a part of the holidays, but if we aim to make it more about enjoying time with people and less about eating a lot, that can help us make more beneficial decisions for our health.”Dig into your favorites intentionally, soak up the memories, and skip the part where you melt into the couch.

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