Eat, Drink and be Merry
The festive season is certainly the time to eat, drink and be merry, and it’s
easy to believe that over two-thirds of us confess to over-indulgence at this
time! It’s no surprise either that eating like this leads to stomach complaints.
More often than not the results of overindulgence are indigestion, heartburn,
bloating, diarrheoa and embarrassing trapped wind.
For others, ongoing conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are exacerbated
at this time and many of us face something of a dilemma: how to enjoy the festivities
of the Christmas period without symptoms having a negative impact and spoiling
the fun.
Here are a few tips that may be helpful for looking after your health, finding
out why you’re feeling unwell over the Christmas period, and minimising the impact
of that seasonal overindulgence:
• Firstly make sure you keep yourself fully hydrated, this will help to make
you feel fuller and will flush away any nasty toxins. Always drink around 2 litres
of water a day.
• Try to drink one glass of water between any alcoholic drinks you have and choose
wisely. For example, a gin and tonic with a slimline tonic or a vodka and tomato
juice make a low calorie yeast free drink.
• Take time when you are eating. Do not rush a meal take it slowly and fully
chew foods, take smaller bites.
• Always choose the healthy option snack such as olives instead of crisps, salted
nuts and raw crudities instead of pastry snacks, as raw foods take more time to
chew thus avoiding over eating.
• Discover undetected food intolerances. For many, underlying and undetected
food intolerances are the cause of digestive discomfort, a FoodScan food intolerance
test is a finger prick blood test that can be taken from the comfort of home.
The FoodScan food intolerance test identifies the specific foods that you are
intolerant to from 113 different food groups. For more information click here.
• Do not go out hungry ensure that you have had a protein full breakfast or snack
such as poached eggs and grilled tomatoes or some chopped fresh fruit and a handful
of seeds, or sliced smoked salmon and crisp green salad. This type of food will
help to balance your blood sugar levels and will give you and energy boost.
• Always avoid creamy sauces or ask for them to be served on the side as this
way you will eat less of it.
Most of all enjoy the holiday season and try to be sensible about what you eat
and drink, always eat everything in moderation.
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