The question is:
If you always eat healthy portions, is it OK to let loose once in a while?
The answer is both yes and no, as it depends on “how much.”
For starters, it’s not just weight gain that you have to consider. The bacteria in our digestive tract are impacted when we eat overly fatty foods, for instance. Studies have suggested that the proportions of beneficial and harmful bacteria can be adversely affected. If such a pattern of eating continues, that could lead to long-term issues such as an inflamed gut. But there’s hope yet. Good news is that our microbiome (this refers to all the micro-organisms living in an environment) has the capacity to rebound.
Actually none of these things are totally bad for you, if it’s in moderation. Though the effects of overeating are not good in the short-term sense (think indigestion, trouble sleeping, constipation, and bloated tummy!), but they are not going to cause long-term damage.
Taking a day for moderate indulgence, followed by a frugal period of more careful eating can be considered perfectly healthy.
But the problem of going on a eating holiday is that the feasting is seldom confined to just one day, and this is what might really impact our health. According to a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, contrary to popular wisdom, weight gain among surveyed Americans was not as sharp during the holiday period as might be expected. However, people failed to shed the extra weight after the holidays, making their weight accumulate year-on-year.
Another study, this time in the Journal of Physiology, found that a bit of physical activity over festive periods can be a good thing. Some daily exercise, even when calorie intakes were much higher than normal, could be extremely beneficial, the researchers found. It led to better blood sugar control.
The advice to people is really very simple:
Enjoy yourself but pay it back – by having some lean days afterwards and going out for some walks, if the thought of exercise makes you shudder.
Source: BBC Future
