So you've eaten your weight in turkey, and you're now in the regrettable situation of being so uncomfortably full that you can't actually move. And you haven't even started on the cheese yet. There's so much more food to be had, not to mention the inevitable leftover sandwiches, so you need to get rid of this food baby, stat. We spoke to Hayley Pedrick, Harley Street nutritional therapist and head clinician at The Nutrition Coach about how to deal with Christmas bloat. So here’s five tried and tested remedies to help you feel better when you may have overdone it on, um, all of the food.
Add sea salt to your food
'Everybody’s afraid of salt these days,' says Hayley, 'But unrefined sea salt contains chloride, which supports the production of hydrochloric acid - your stomach acid.' There is a caveat, Hayley adds: 'We only need about 180-500mg of sodium per day, so less is more.' So chuck some salt on the roasties with your Christmas dinner, and for afters? We’re using this as an excuse to crack into that fancy box of salted caramel chocolates (full disclaimer: eating chocolates probably won’t help your situation).
Eat some bitter herbs
No, you don’t have to chow down on a load of nettles, but try the more palatable bitter leaves, such as rocket, watercress, parsley and coriander. The bitter taste on the tongue stimulates the brain to release the digestive hormone, gastrin, which produces hydrochloric acid in the stomach. 'Once that step in the digestive process has been triggered, you then get a series of reactions that also lead on to stimulate digestion,' says Hayley. So while they might not sound super appealing, get some bitter leaves down you and you’ll feel good. Seems like that parsley garnish your mum always insists on using might actually have some use after all.
Go for a gentle stroll
Fight the urge to retire to the sofa once you’ve stuffed yourself silly. Hayley says: 'Going for a walk can really help to beat bloat by stimulating digestion and reducing discomfort by helping the food move further down the digestive system so it’s not all just sitting in one place.' Wait about 20 minutes after eating to go for a walk (just enough time to watch a festive episode of Friends) and then go for a 20-30 minute gentle stroll. If you’re thinking you’ll step it up and go for a jog, 1) you’re mad, and 2) it won’t help. Hayley says that jogging switches your body into ‘fight or flight’ mode which won’t help digestion at all.
Give yourself a massage
Well, kind of. But rather than the obvious tummy rub, Hayley suggests targeting particular acupressure points on your hands and elbows. 'If you've just eaten a huge Christmas meal, a belly massage could actually be very uncomfortable, so the hand and elbow massage is much nicer and can be useful in stimulating bowel movements.' Delightful stuff. So what the heck is an acupressure point? It’s basically applying pressure to particular points on the body to relieve pain. Hayley suggests two acupressure points that are good for relieving bloat: 'If you put your thumb and forefinger together, there's a crease on your hand, follow the crease down to the end of that line and that is the acupressure point. Press down on that with your other hand. Another useful one is at the end of the creases in your elbow. So cross your arms and press down on both elbows at the same time. Hold each acupressure point for about 1-2 minutes.'
Make yourself a homemade herbal tea
Add some grated ginger to a cup of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes before straining it. Squeeze in some honey and you’re good to go. 'A fresh ginger tea with honey is fantastic for supporting digestion - it’s very nourishing to the lining of the digestive system.' If ginger’s not your cup of tea (sorry, tis the season for crap puns), try making a fresh mint tea by putting mint leaves in hot water and leaving to infuse for about 3-5 minutes. 'Peppermint oil relaxes the muscles of your intestines so it allows gas to pass and eases abdominal pain,' according to Hayley. If you want the super lazy option, she recommends Pukka’s After Dinner Tea, which contains chicory and cardamom and is a good one for aiding digestion.
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Getting Drunk With Your Parents At Christmas: Do's And Don't's
Follow Isabelle on Twitter @IzzyAron
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.