This is of course not a problem for everyone, but many people who normally live healthily stop being careful and gain a few kilos during December. This is just fine of course. Christmas only comes once a year there is many thousand year old tradition of feasting during the darkest part of the year.
Many cultures have throughout the ages used December or January to celebrate religious holidays which have been celebrated in many different ways. The secular part of these celebrations has often focused on food and drink.
Today roast turkey with potatoes, bread sauce, and stuffing, washed down with good wine and followed by Christmas pudding has become what many of us mean when we say “Christmas dinner.” There are few people who wish to change this culinary tradition, even though it is not without its price.
We complain of growing love handles and bellies at the end of the year and this fatty food can, especially when eaten late in the evening, easily cause heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, and even nausea. So, what should we do?
Calvados
A big glass of Calvados apple brandy has the reputation among gluttons of being able to make room for more food in the stomach. If there is some truth to this claim, it could be because Calvados might be able to cause the sphincter between the stomach and the small intestine to open too early, causing inadequately digested food to enter the intestines. This is clearly not healthy.
Eat slowly and deliberately
First and foremost you can, possibly inspired by the effects of earlier holidays, decide to prevent unwanted after effects of the holiday feast. Even though much evidence points toward the idea that not all people need to eat the same diet or avoid the same foods in order to stay healthy and thin, nobody can avoid the fact that weight will be gained if calorie intake is higher than calorie use. The more acute effects of overeating have already been named. Therefore, don’t eat all of the dishes if there are many, but instead eat only your favourites and don’t eat so much that it leaves the feeling of being overstuffed. Take enough time to taste the delicious Christmas food, and chew it until it is nearly liquid before swallowing so that the enzymes in the saliva which break down carbohydrates have a chance to do their job.
Heartburn
Heartburn occurs when the sphincter between the oesophagus and the stomach does not close properly, letting acidic stomach juices enter the oesophagus.
Stomach acid neutralising measures
Acute heartburn can be relieved by chewing 1-2 tbls of raw oatmeal. You can also stir ca. 4 g (1 tsp) Cal-Mag C-powder or sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda) into a glass of water and drink the mixture. This will neutralise much of the stomach acid and raise the pH, whereby the symptoms are reduced. Baking soda is not recommended to people with reduced kidney function.
Measures which neutralise stomach acid should only be used in case of acute heartburn because we need strong stomach acid in order to kill disease causing micro-organisms from our food and in order to absorb basic minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Bloating
Drinking beer and soda with food increases the amount of air in the stomach to a great degree. Some people become bloated from eating (or drinking) milk products because they are unable to digest lactose. Food, especially carbohydrates, which cannot be fully broken down in the digestive system, causes bloating. Therefore, chew your food slowly and deliberately, and don’t swallow until it becomes fluid in your mouth. This eases digestion and counteracts the need to burp. Food that is digested completely does not cause any digestive problems. Nonetheless, it can possibly be difficult for the body to produce enough digestive enzymes is you eat too much. In such a situation herb and supplements of digestive enzymes can help.
Herbs that ease digestion
- Peppermint oil is a good old remedy for bloating. For example, take 1 200 mg capsule after a meal. Should not be used in children under 2 years of age or if suffering from liver or gall disease.
- Dill is, as well as being a common cooking herb, an old remedy for intestinal gas. Dill in meals promotes digestion.
- Fennel contains ethereal oils which counteract stomach bloating and resulting discomfort. It is also known to increase the appetite. Use the plant. The leaves are well suited for salads. Fennel oil and fennel seeds can be poisonous in large amounts.
- Artichoke has been known and appreciated both by gourmets and herbal therapists since antiquity. The flower is the part of the plant which is eaten. It strengthens liver function and can be taken before or after a meal. It can also be found as a dietary supplement.
- Milk thistle is a classic liver remedy. It aids in the liver’s metabolism of both alcohol and fat. It is found as a supplement. Take, for example, 400-800 mg extract after a meal.
- Gentian root contains bitter substances which promote the body’s production of digestive secretions.
Digestive enzymes
Detergent producers add digestive enzymes to their products so that they will dissolve difficult spots. Digestive enzymes can also ease digestion by aiding in the breakdown of fat, carbohydrates, and protein if they are taken as supplements after a meal.
Enzymes which aid digestion of
- meat are: Pepsin, Trypsin, chymotrypsin, papain, and bromelain
- potatoes, rice, and sugar are: Ptyalin, amylase, isomaltase, saccharase, and lactase
- fat are: Lipase
Nausea
Here we can again receive help from an herb. Ginger contains substances which counteract nausea and vomiting. Fresh or grated ginger can be used, as well as ginger in tablet form or in capsules
Angina
More serious consequences of overeating can appear in people with arthrosclerosis of the coronary arteries. There people are possibly unaware of the poor condition of their hearts’ blood supply, and a good Christmas party can well cause heart cramping, also called angina pectoris. Factors such as fatty food, tobacco smoke, cold temperatures, exertion, and stress can cause these attacks in predisposed people. In these situations the heart needs more oxygen than the narrowed arties can supply. A classic scenario of how angina can arise follows: A slightly overweight, middle aged man is on his way home after eating at a good restaurant where smoking is permitted. He is walking out of restaurant, carrying an overfull briefcase. Outside a cold wind is blowing, and as he exits the restaurant the wind hits him and he suffers an attack of angina pectoris. The symptoms are stress induced, and there is clenching pain and pressure in his chest. The pain shoots out to his left arm, up his back, and to his neck. The pain subsides as he sits and breathes deeply because his heart can again get the oxygen it needs, but he knows that he must be careful in the future.
There are always good reasons to eat with care, not in the least during Christmas.
