Christmas is a fun and wonderful time of the year, filled with family time, gifting, and good food. But it can also be a really challenging time of the year to stick to a healthy diet when indulging in delicious treats and drinks is almost a given.
With many celebrations and events centred around indulging in decadent foods, it can feel hard to navigate and a bit of a drag on the Christmas spirit if you are dealing with gut health issues or trying to uphold healthy dietary changes.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to enjoy all the facets of the holiday season without putting the health of your gut on the back burner.
Here are a few supportive ideas and reminders that you might find helpful:
Give yourself a little grace and go easy!
If there ever was a time of the year that you could give yourself a little grace, it’s Christmas.
For those navigating serious gut health issues and food intolerance it is still important to continue to avoid foods and drinks that you know have big impacts on your health. However, going easy on yourself is equally as important. Becoming fixated on avoiding indulgent foods can actually be a cause of stress too and depriving yourself of the enjoyment of food isn’t fun either.
It’s good to take some time to think about where and how you might be able to invite some flexibility and fun into your food and drink choices this season. Is there a drink that might be a better option for you? Can you bake some healthy treats that take your intolerances into account but also make you feel like you’re indulging a bit too?
Mentally preparing yourself and giving yourself permission to balance some indulgence this Christmas can also help to rid the emotions of guilt and shame that can arise. So what if you do overindulge? Allow yourself to enjoy it. Embrace this aspect of your humanity. Forgive yourself. Healthy habits are always there to regain.
Keep up your bone broth habit
If there is something that will support you through the indulgences of the festive season it’s your bone broth habit.
A daily bone broth is going to help to curb the impact of the silly season on your gut health. Not only does it provide you with a rich source of gelatin to continually support the integrity of the gut lining, the glycine content content will also support detoxification pathways.
And another thing to note - bone broth is a great way to fend off a hang over if you if you find yourself struggling. Providing all of the important electrolytes to restore your balance, it also aides in soothing the impact that alcohol has on your gut too.
Grab yourself some nourishing support from our shop here!
Resistant Starch and Fibre
Those of you with gut issues may be all too familiar the difficulties of navigating through carb-rich Christmas menus loaded with breads, biscuits, cakes and the like. Thankfully there are some carbs that are easier to digest than others.
Resistant starch is a prebiotic-rich fibre that can be found in various foods that are likely to be on the Christmas menu already. Once consumed, they work by feeding the good bacteria in your gut in an effort to maintain a healthy and balanced gut. The most common foods that contain resistant starch are cooked and cooled grains, roasted potatoes, and cooked vegetables. Other fibre rich foods that will help to keep your gut balanced include beans, broccoli, nuts, and avocado.
Find out more about resistant starch in my blog post here.
Another tip to avoid overindulging in ‘party’ foods - Avoid going to a an event hungry. If you eat a small snack of protein and fat in it such as a small handful of almonds, salmon, avocado or a boiled egg you won’t be inclined to snack on too many high-fat, salty or sweet table offerings.
Alcohol
All the Christmas socialising and end of year gatherings can means that more alcohol than normal is consumed. We all know that alcohol puts a burden on our liver and it also affects the lining of our gut and our microbiome too.
While it is really worth pacing yourself when it comes to alcohol, it’s also nice to be able to enjoy a tipple or two over the festive season too.
So how can we balance the impacts of alcohol on the body and support ourselves while enjoying a drink or two this Christmas? Here’s some things to think about:
Have a wedgie: We coined this term many years ago. And I’m not referring to when your undies creep up your bottom! A wedgie is the simple concept of alternating your choice of alcoholic beverage with a glass of water. It is a serious game changer. Not only does it slow down your alcohol consumption but it has the added benefit of keeping you hydrated too.
Supplement with B vitamins: Drinking alcohol can deplete your B vitamins quite rapidly as many of the B vitamins are directly or indirectly involved in alcohol metabolism. Supplementing with a B vitamin complex can replenish these nutrients so take your supplement before you are going to drink, and again before you retire for bed, washed down with a big glass of water! B vitamins can also help convert food into energy so taking a B complex supplement can also help support overall energy levels through the demanding holiday season.
Don’t drink on an empty stomach: Some recent studies in Australia have shown that drinking alcohol prior to eating interferes with blood sugar levels, reduces available glucose to the brain, raises cortisol levels and other stress hormones in the bloodstream, can interfere with insulin levels, and possibly increase the chances of insulin resistance. So make sure you eat something before you have a tipple.
Use kombucha as your mixer: Rather than mixing a spirit like gin or vodka with a sugar laden mixer, try kombucha. Not only is it delicious but it gut supportive as well. Our summer go to drink is gin mixed with a ginger or passionfruit kombucha with fresh lime leaf and mint.
Water
Approximately 60% of our body is made of water, making daily water intake an essential part of a balanced diet at any time of the year but being mindful of this over the summer silly season will also help to support your gut health.
Drinking water has a plethora of benefits including flushing out bodily waste more easily, cushioning the joints, and maintaining blood pressure. When it comes to a healthy gut, taking in enough water is crucial to proper digestive processes. Transporting nutrients, vitamins and minerals throughout the body, water acts as a means to keep the entire body fully balanced. Dehydration can lead to major stomach problems that come from an overly acidic stomach including ulcers, heartburn and constipation.
Aim to consume, at least, 33ml of water per kg of body weight. Eg. if you weigh 70kg your daily water intake should be 2.3L - and this is separate from herbal teas, bone broth, juices or other drinks.
Keep moving
One way to keep your digestive system processing effectively is to exercise regularly. While keeping up an exercise routine can be really challenging over the holiday period, think of some ways that you can still include movement into your day.
It can be tempting to have a nap after a big meal but taking a stroll around the block or playing some backyard cricket in between feasting will help to boost your metabolism. Its also a great time of the year for an evening stroll after dinner. The simple act of walking helps move food, nutrients, and acids through your intestines faster, decreasing the chances of heartburn or acid reflux, and bloating.
Relax and have a laugh
Despite all the lovely aspects of Christmas it can also be a laden with additional stress too. Whether it be the work wind down, family dynamics, finances or the overwhelm of getting everything done it can be easy to get caught up in the rush and stress of it all.
The thing about stress is that both the brain and gut can be affected, thanks to what is referred to as the gut-brain axis. Research has shown that stress can have a negative effect on both gut ecology and function.
Stress is an inevitable part of our humanness so we can’t eliminate it from our lives entirely. But we can find healthy ways to deal with it and this varies from person to person. Having a laugh, working on gratitude and acceptance, going for a walk, doing some deep breathing. Find what works for you and give yourself a Christmas gift by inviting more of it into your days.
With some tools in your pocket, the festive season can also be an opportunity to reset and recharge, to sit back and take a moment to appreciate the good things in life.
Family, friends, connection, community, sharing, good food and love. The important things that make life the enriching experience that it is!
May you all enjoy the festive season and give yourself an extra dose of grace as you navigate through it all.
