Are You Going Into A Carb Coma???

You know the feeling: bloated, sleepy, lethargic...

It used to be that after the big Thanksgiving Feast, the women of the family would clean up (and work off the meal) - do the dishes, parcel out the left-overs, set out the deserts while the men 'watched' football with one eye closed and belts undone. The kids would be sent outside, or allowed to play on grandma's bed, usually too full to get into to much trouble.

We used to blame this on the turkey - you remember tryptophan? (not sure I even spelled that any way near right) Now we know that the mashed potatoes, the dressing (or stuffing), the heavy gravy, those yummy yeast rolls and all the other carb loaded foods are to blame. They fill us up, induce an insulin spike, and that post-prandial need for a nice nap.

Now, I don't know about your family, but mine really overdoes it. We have a HUGE bird and enough food for at least 20 people - and only 5 of us are there! So this means that not only do we overeat at 1:00 in the afternoon, we do it AGAIN at around 6:00...and eat the leftovers for the next couple of days.

This year was even worse! My sons spent the day with their Dad's family, so came out to our house on Saturday night. I made another big meal: Ham, scalloped potatoes, rice, those yummy yeast rolls again and a couple of veggies: corn and carrots (more starch!).

While all of it sounds good (and boy did it taste good!), we're feeling every fork-full. The four day weekend was a food-for-all of homemade goodness but at what cost? The experts say that if you just have ONE extra helping of anything per day, you will gain AT LEAST 5 pounds before January 1. And that just plain sucks. So do I have to feel guilty for making really delicious food? No. I just need to watch how much I put in my mouth and maybe not make enough for an army.

So, my advice, for what it's worth: Make all your favorites. Enjoy them. Enjoy feeding your families. Just limit the second helpings, be the one to get up from the table to clean up and take the dog for a walk. Maybe the New Years resolutions won't need to include a diet.

On to Christmas!..............................Where did I put that cookie recipe????