6 Ways to Support your Digestion over the Holidays
I dunno about you, but I’ve definitely been through a holiday (or few) where I experienced the old “food coma” that leaves me blobbing on the couch for a few hours post-meal, or that uncomfortable bloating and constipation (good thing I wore those stretchy pants!) as a result of eating a bunch of stuff that’s not a part of my *typical* “what-Mia-eats-on-the-reg.”
You? Have you been there, too?
The holiday’s are generally a time of year where we’re surrounded by friends and family (albeit this year, things might be looking a little differently than usual), and loooots of good food and drink (especially if your family is anything like my Italian family!).
Whether or not you struggle with digestive issues, the holiday season can really impact our gut! If you’re all too familiar with uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, and gassiness that can result after a big holiday meal (or holiday season) - this one’s for you, my friend.
There are things you can put in place, and think about before hand - in order to minimize the possibility of experiencing these discomforts.
Here are 6 things you can do to help support your digestion through the holidays:
1. Get your Body into its “Rest-and-Digest” State
This might sound silly, but taking a few deep belly breaths before a meal can really help with your digestion. When we do this - our body switches from being in “fight or flight” mode (if we’re stressed), into our “rest-and-digest” mode. When we’re eating, we want to be relaxed - as this is where our digestive system functions at it’s best! When we’re stressed, anxious, even moving too quickly throughout our lives (aka living in our sympathetic nervous system), we can see our digestive system suffer - and you could experience symptoms like bloating, distention, indigestion and heart burn!
Tip: try 3-5 deep belly breaths before a meal to get into that rest-and-digest mode (this is where your belly sticks out as far as possible, not breathing into your chest!)
2. Mindful Eating — Chew Chew Chew!
This is another “mindful eating” practice. And it’s another good one! Chewing our food is SO important - it helps to take a lot of work off of the rest of our digestive system. The more we can break down our food mechanically via our teeth, the easier it is for the rest of our system to work at it!
Chewing, and slowing down while we’re eating - not only eases the burden on our digestive system, but it also helps us to listen to our satiety cues.
Scoffing down our food quickly (as we often do nowadays!), and not chewing enough can contribute to uncomfortable bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, etc. We don’t want that! Take some extra time, and chew your food thoroughly. Your gut will thank you!
Tip: try chewing your food until it’s liquified in your mouth! (I know it sounds gross - but promise! It’s super helpful)
3. Have a Loving Conversation with Yourself
Take a second to have a loving chat with yourself. Acknowledge that this time of year might be full of things that are out of the ordinary for you (ie. maybe you’re eating foods that you don’t normally have, or consuming more alcohol than you would at home!), and that that’s OK. What I really want to emphasize here is the importance of enjoying your food, and (best you can) letting go of the idea that you need to “earn” the right to enjoy certain foods.
Stressing over what you’re eating, and holding resentment, guilt, or shame towards yourself over it - isn’t doing yourself or your body any good. These feelings can really impact our physiology (IMHO stress will have more negative effects on your body than your favourite cookies) - so the less you can stress about this beautiful food you’re going to enjoy, and the more you can show yourself compassion and love, and ENJOY it - the better!
4. Consider Digestive Bitters or Digestive Enzymes Before a Meal
Both digestive bitters and digestive enzymes can help aid in the digestive process. Digestive bitters (often taken as a tincture in a little bit of water), can help support the secretion of gastric juices (ie. they can help to support the production/release of our stomach acid, enzymes, and bile - which all help to process and break down our food).
Digestive enzymes can help to provide the body with some additional support. Digestive enzymes are normal products of our digestive system, and help in the break-down process of foods we eat - like proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Taking a digestive enzyme can provide the body with some additional support in breaking down what you’re eating, and can be especially helpful for someone who experiences digestive disturbances, or may have a compromised digestive system!
Note: *I always recommend speaking with a trusted health-care provider prior to taking any form of supplementation
5. Try to Space out your Meals/Avoid Snacking if Possible
Snacking or constantly eating can actually contribute to digestive disturbances - your digestive system needs time to process your meals! When you’re frequently eating or snacking - it doesn’t give your body the space and time it needs to properly process what you’re eating.
There’s something called the MMC (migrating motor complex), that actually does it’s work during the time when you’re not eating. It’s sort of touted the digestive tract’s “janitor” - being that it’s this wave-like motion that moves stuff along your digestive tract - cleaning house! If you’re constantly snacking, this doesn’t happen, and we can start to see things get backed up.
Tip: If you’re going to enjoy some holiday baking - try to do so after you’ve already sat down to enjoy a meal (this will also help to keep your blood sugar in check, if you’ve had a blood-sugar balancing meal beforehand!). A good rule of thumb is to try to leave at least 3-4 hours between meals to allow your digestive system to do its fine work.
6. Take a Walk after Dinner (or any Larger Meal!)
Now you maaaay or may not have heard this one before - I feel like anecdotally a lot of people say that going for a walk after a larger meal makes them feel better. I’m here to tell ya that there could be something to that, as far as digestion goes!
It’s been shown that going for a walk after a meal (movement/exercise after a meal actually has it’s own name, which I thought was pretty interesting - it’s called postprandial walking 🤓) helps to reduce gastric emptying time! This basically means that it helps to move things along our digestive tract in a timely manner (which could mean less bloating and distention). This could be a great option especially if you tend to bloat, or are often constipated.
Tip: this doesn’t need to be long, and time-consuming (if that’s a worry for you), a short 10-15 minute walk after your meal can do the trick.. I bet you’ll feel much better for it!
This time of year is special for so many reasons - and digestive disruptions shouldn’t get in the way of you being able to enjoy yourself and your loved ones! By putting one (or a few) of these things in place, you'll be able to support your digestive processes and ease any discomfort you may experience.
You don’t need to do *all* of these, if that feels overwhelming to you - but pick at least one, and try it out to see how it makes you feel! If I were you - I might start with the breath work before your meal. It’s a fan favourite 😉
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