Holiday libations, celebrating with friends and family… food is often the centerpiece of social occasions. While fun, relationship building, a topic of interest… we find ourselves eating foods we normally wouldn’t and in portions we normally wouldn’t. Fortunately, there are many ways to handle any “food coma”, indigestion, or poor night’s sleep.
Depending on your usual habits and routines, one big meal could be enough to imbalance you enough that unwanted symptoms return. But my clients who generally take good care of themselves throughout the year are more resilient—their bodies will clear out a meal’s worth of imbalances fairly quickly.
First off, download my Holidays recipe book. Look over all the amazing recipes I’ve created using healthful ingredients. Make some. You can do it!
Maximize the fun; minimize the damage
Prepare: give yourself a “grace period” where you eat more lightly before the big meal. Rich meals, higher in calories than you usually eat, slow your circulation. This can elevate your blood pressure, or even give you mucous congestion. Your slowed metabolism makes you feel tired, lethargic, and your thoughts cloudy.
Don’t fast completely though, as that will make you ravenous and more likely to overindulge.
- Start with a clean, low-fat, breakfast:
- Buckwheat Fried Breakfast
- Berries a la New Zealand
- Set out veggie trays—don’t become “hangry” as meals often start later than intended
- Avoid heavy and sticky foods like wheat and cheese that clog the intestines
Improve digestion: Half an hour before your meal, drink a digesting beverage:
- Invigorating Ginger Tea
- Fresh-squeezed lemon in a cup of water
- Sipping small amounts of wine with your meal can improve digestion; over-indulging—slows it down and can lead to more unwanted sensations than you need to read 😊
- If you are client on my Nutrition Response Testing program, take an extra dose of the digestive aids I’ve given you.
During your meal: Forgo harboring any guilt or regret over what you choose to eat, for these types of emotions only serve to hinder digestion and assimilation—and fun. Instead, enjoy the decadence of the food you indulge in by eating slowly and mindfully, savor every bite. Eating more slowly and mindfully will also help you keep your portion sizes moderate.
After your meal: Rest for 15 minutes, but not too much longer. Then take a slow walk with another guest—it doesn’t have to be long.
Experiencing after-effects of celebrating?
These are my favorite remedies:
Stomach bloating or excess burping: 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar can help your stomach. Take that slow walk. Breathe deeply and slowly: send each breath into your stomach to distend it, then exhale slowly.
Gas or intestinal pressure/bloating: Stay hydrated with lemon juice in water
3-48 hours later–delayed blood or nervous system imbalances:
Can’t sleep: Usually sugar and sometimes over-indulging in alcohol (after the sedative effect wears off). I keep Standard Process Multizyme (aids in sugar digestion) and Calcium Lactate (relaxes).
Feel cold, lethargic or congested: Cleanse your lymph system. With your fingers and using very little pressure, trace from the sides of your face, down your neck, toward your heart. Here’s a good you-tube video. Do the same thing up your legs and up your arms, always toward your heart.
Massage your abdomen and/or stretch it with various yoga poses.
Hot flashes, irritable… Consider liver cleansing vegetables and herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro. Avoid spicy, irritating or intense flavors.
The following day, eat light and simple. Give your digestive tract a breather.
Make easy-to-digest foods out of any leftovers:
- Rejuvenating Asparagus Chicken Soup
- Golden Squash Soup
- Grilled Steak, Mint, Watercress & Bok Choy salad
- Roasted Beet Slaw
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