
Stressed digestion this Christmas?
Now we are a few days into Christmas, how many of you are starting to feel a little sluggish and foggy? This is a sign of stressed digestion and buildup of toxins – the slippery slope to eating badly and feeling worse if you don’t manage the situation.
Here are 5 tips to help you keep on top of festive eating, and keeping your weight in balance:
1. Avoid starchy carbs and sugars
Stick with the turkey and brussels sprouts and avoid the potatoes. For vegetarians, keep to the nut roast and veggies;, and avoid the rice, pasta and bread.
Minimise the chocolates, desserts and Christmas pudding. This is usually what tips you over into feeling awful and heavy at the end of a meal.
Starchy refined carbs and sugars push your insulin levels into overdrive, causing weight imbalance and other metabolic disorders.
2. Work up a hunger before eating
Avoid snacking and eating when not hungry. Dumping fresh food over partly-digested food in your stomach results in improperly-processed food which clogs the system.
Avoid long-drawn meals that last hours, as they have the same effect.
3. Eat at a moderate pace – till half full
Avoid eating too slowly (see above), and eating too fast. Your body needs time to register that it has had enough food. This is usually when you feel satisfied – and not when you feel stuffed!
Give the stomach some space for digestion to work effectively, and you won’t feel so heavy and bloated.
4. Have good drinking habits
Think of your digestion as a fire – would you keep pouring buckets of cold water over it? No!
Avoid cold drinks – especially during and just after meals. Instead sip warm to hot water through the day – this will stimulate digestion and detoxification.
First thing in the morning, squeeze half a lemon into a big glass of warm, filtered water and drink. This will neutralize the previous night’s excesses, alkalize the body, and flush the digestive system.
If you’ve had too much alcohol in the evening, rehydrate with warm water before going to bed.
5. Rest your digestion
Take a few days off the eating spree to give your digestion a rest. Have home-made veggie soups, drink juices and herbal teas, and generally eat only very digestible and simple foods. After the festive season, you can do this once a month to maintain optimum digestion.
So there you are! Here’s to your excellent digestion! My very best wishes for a New Year of great health and happiness!
Best regards,
Gerald.