This week ushers in the beginning of the holiday season with
turkey and all the trimmings, including stuffing. But there’s
another form of stuffing that may be going on—eating so much
that you feel your sides are going to burst. It’s not unusual
for many to overindulge during Thanksgiving or other holidays,
but there’s more at stake than indigestion and feeling bloated.
Loading up on the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing,
cranberry sauce, rolls and butter, pumpkin pie and other
foods—binge-style—can increase risk for heart attack,
gallbladder pain and dangerous drowsiness when driving home. On
average, Americans consume about 4,500 calories and 229 grams of
fat (mostly unhealthy fat) on Thanksgiving Day, says the Calorie
Control Council. Dr. Pamela Peeke, assistant clinical professor
at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, remarks that
the typical Thanksgiving meal is “like a tsunami of fat coming
into the body.” Interestingly, when food travels through the
body, it releases digestive fl