The combination of richer foods, larger quantities and the emotional stresses Christmas can bring can have a huge impact on our digestive system. While Christmas has become synonymous with catching up with friends and loved ones, eating out and trying different foods, the last thing you want on your night out is to suffer the uncomfortable and often embarrassing side effects of indigestion.
Here are few tips to ensure you don’t have the leave the party early because of an upset stomach!
- Chew slowly – Not chewing your food properly puts your whole digestive system under stress and can result in indigestion, constipation and flatulence.
- Digestive enzymes – at this time of the year portion sizes tend to increase and we eat more unusual & richer foods. Taking digestive enzymes (with guidance from your health store) with your meal will help in the breakdown of your foods and thus avoid some of the discomfort of food just sitting in your stomach.
- Watch your foods – with 1 in 3 of us walking around with a food intolerance, be mindful of what you are eating and drinking this Christmas. Your overly full feeling may not necessarily be that you have eaten too much, but you may be intolerant to certain foods which can cause bloating and digestive issues.
- Don’t eat when you’re stressed – with so much pressure at Christmas to get everything just right, it’s important we take 10 minutes a day for ourselves and relax. Avoid eating on the run.
- Probiotics – such as acidophilus can help to give your digestion a much needed healthy boost.
- Taking an artichoke extract supplement can help the digestive process by stimulating the production of bile, which helps to break down fatty foods and alcohol so they can be easily digested.
* Please talk to your local health store about what would work best for you *
More tips on enjoying Christmas can be found here.
A few useful articles to keep for January!