Can a single meal trigger a heart attack?
According to researchers, a huge meal similar to what many eat at Thanksgiving or Christmas, can actually set the stage for a heart attack, in those at risk for heart disease.
The study of 1,986 heart attack patients in 2000, suggested that an unusually large meal quadrupled the chance of having a heart attack within the next two hours.
Dr. Lopez-Jimenez said this,
Overeating should be considered as a heart attack trigger, much in the same way as extreme physical activities and severe anger episodes may cause an MI... People at risk for a heart attack should be careful not only about the total caloric intake they eat every day, but the size of individual meals as well.
So, if you tend to eat way to much at this time of year, here are 3 ways avoid overdoing it this holiday season:
1. Downsize Your Serveware
Most people will eat everything that is pilled onto their plates, regardless of whether it's more than they need to feel satisfied. So, eating from a salad plate is a good way to control this.
Studies have also shown that people eat as much as 56 percent more when they serve themselves from a one-gallon bowl, rather than a half-gallon one. So, if you plan to serve your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner from large bowls in the centre of the table, try using smaller serving dishes, as a way to encourage everyone to eat a little less.
This idea works with glassware, too. Large gobblet-shaped glasses can hold up to one third of a bottle of wine. However, people fail to realize just how much alcohol they are consuming from these supersized glasses.
If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to just one small glass of wine. As for juices and soft drinks, they are simply empty calories -- you would be better sticking with water, and saving up the calories for something tastier later on.
2. Portion Control
As an extra way to check that your food portions aren't too big, here are some guidelines: fill half your dinner plate with non-starchy vegetables, then one quarter with starchy carbs, and one quarter with lean meat, or alternatives.
3. Indulge -- but just a little!
Personally, I enjoy dessert way too much to avoid it. If you are the same, pass on the drinks pre-dinner, the bread roll and butter with your entree, and also that extra scoop of potatoes at dinner. Then you can easily enjoy a small piece of cheesecake, guilt-free and without too much sacrifice.
If all else fails, and you end up eating enough to feed a tiny country, get back on the healthy eating handwagon right away, and then get some exercise. There's no point slacking off just because it's the holidays. When you do that, you set yourself up for a long slippery road back to where you were pre-vacation. It's not worth it!
So, what are your tips for surviving the holiday season without gaining those dreaded extra pounds?
Image source: falconreid
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