THE first time I heard of the word ‘itis’, known as a food coma, was from the culture and social commentary cartoon, The Boondocks.
This particular episode of the show was appropriately named The ‘itis and the episode is about how food comas and a large intake of unhealthy food can have a negative effect on a community.
Even though that season one episode of The Boondocks is extreme, it certainly opened my eyes about food intake in family functions and especially Christmas.
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On Jesus’ birthday, there’s far too much food on offer and the ‘itis normally kicks in before I get to touch dessert and I always have to make space for my aunt’s famous luscious, layer cheese cake.
Last Christmas, I remember seeing a blog post on Tumblr that spoke about food-intake management on Christmas Day. The mistake a lot of us food-lovers make on the day is that we eat the food like it’ll disappear if it’s not on our plates as soon as it’s time to dish up.
I’m not trying to say that people shouldn’t eat as much as they want on the most festive day of the year, but rather dish up in portions you can handle throughout the course of the day.
The most frustrating aspect about the ‘itis is attempting to sleep on a ridiculously full tummy and in the past, this has caused stomach aches, nausea and even a headache. Even though taking a nap is the best cure for ‘itis, a study by the Science Direct shows that a poor sleeping cycle or a poor night’s sleep the night before plays a significant effect on what they call a “post-lunch dip.”
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The medical term for ‘itis is Postprandial Somnolence and unfortunately there aren’t many studies to support the many theories about ‘itis but all I can say is to get a good night’s rest before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
I had a word with Masterchef season 3 finalist, Ndu Mncwabe, about how to handle the famous food coma:
Ndu: Itis is something that one needs to be able control, because it is essentially a huge sign of over-eating, which can be controlled very easily. One needs to take things quite easy and slowly this Christmas, don’t be scared to be that person that gets up for seconds and thirds.
Normally people want to pile on the spread for lunch onto one plate, which is cool and all, but I would suggest for people to do smaller portions on their plates and to do combos that communicate or go well with each other. Also don’t gobble down your food because you want to get to plate up again. I also believe itis is something that is related to how quickly one eats, so slow down the pace and savour the taste and you’ll experience your food with more appreciation than last Christmas.
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