Thanksgiving is here! We’ve been waiting all month long! Family, friends, great food, and drinks! It’s finally the time we get to spend time with those we hold close, who we probably haven’t seen in a while, and feast together! But here comes the bloat! Here are a few simple tricks to avoid the dreaded Thanksgiving bloat.
The most important step is the properly set yourself up for success. It’s as simple as pre-meal, mid-meal, and post-meal tweaks.
- First do not starve yourself before the main meal. You will surely overeat and end up feeling bloated. A simple trick is to have some nuts, or crackers and cheese about 2 hours before the meal, Drink some seltzer before and during the meal.
- Next, go for a nice easy 15-minute walk 1-2 hours before the meal and 15-30 minutes after the meal. Both with help burn some calories and get your food moving in the right direction.
- A little know secret, my personal favorite actually, is to take a digestive enzyme right before. I use a combination enzyme with some additional HCL (extra stomach acid). Why? As we age, our digestive enzymes and acid production is reduced, the extra food coupled with lowered stomach acid and enzymes can inhibit the speed of gastric emptying causing indigestion, heartburn and bloat. I take 2 MD Logic Digestive Complex capsules right before I begin to eat.
- Drink less fluids while you’re eating. When you drink a lot fluid it can dilute your stomach acid and cause delayed gastric (stomach emptying.)
- Pause between courses and second helpings. Eat until you feel 80% full and then wait 10 minutes. Most times after waiting, that 80% will feel like 100%+. There are many reasons for this including the chemical signaling system for full. It takes a few minutes to catch up with how full you actually are.
- One last trick: eat your salad with apple cider vinegar as the last course and not the first! Why? The vinegar and spices act as digestive support. Did you know? Many cultures in Europe always eat salad as the final course!
