Post-Holiday Indigestion?
Here are 5 practical, non-medication suggestions to help you recover.
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Raise your hand if your digestion feels sluggish and your stomach overworked after the Christmas holidays!
I’m definitely raising my hand over here on the other side of the screen. My goodness, do I feel bloated these last few days. It’s interesting because I’m a vegetarian so my diet is generally quite manageable, light and healthy. But despite skipping the Christmas meats, my digestive track is screaming at me, to the point where I had to take two Alka-Seltzer effervescent tablets to help me cope. I’ve been trying to pinpoint the reason for this, realising a few determinant factors:
Irregular meal schedules
Lots of snacking (both sweet and savoury)
No exercise
Low water intake (yes, even as a doctor I fail at times to follow my own advice.)
I’ve struggled with digestive issues most of my life. A decade ago, after a health scare, I was forced to take a deep look into my eating and hydration habits. That’s when, among other things, I decided to remove certain foods that made me feel heavy, bloated and severely constipated. After a few months of experimenting, observing in detail, and taking notes, I came to some conclusions that became my new eating rules: no red meats, no lactose, more fibre.
These changes turned out to be among the best decisions I’ve ever made for my health. It’s quite personal and these rules don’t necessarily apply to you, BUT what I learned through such process was this:
Observing your habits and taking careful note on what your body is telling you is key to improving your health and the way you feel on daily basis.
After a couple of years into my new diet, I was convinced that changing my eating habits was the first step to a positive, long-lasting lifestyle revolution.
This process made me aware of the things I need to monitor regularly about my body, what habits or foods affect it, and what changes I need to keep making as I go. Because health, as life, is a constant flow, always changing and adapting—to the seasons, the circumstances, the moods, the hormones.
It also allowed me to create a few good techniques to help me keep track this newfound awarenesses. Seems obvious to practise what you’ve learned, but as time goes by, it’s easy to forget the details. Having been living abroad and moving between places, I have learned to write down my most grounding habits every time before I move or before a change of season, to remind me of the things that keep my body on track.
It’s not just about knowing or remembering what you need to do…but about actually taking action.
If you’re also suffering from post-holiday indigestion, I have some practical suggestions for you:
Increase your water intake. Proper hydration will not only cleanse your digestive track, but will also improve your bowel motility, kidney filtration and cellular functions.
Get proper sleep. It’s easy to accumulate some sleep debt over the holidays. The joy of gathering up with loved ones can be exhilarating but it can also take a toll on your body’s schedules. Make sure you take time to rest and recover when possible over the next few days. Recovery happens mostly during sleep hours!
Keep a light and simple diet for a few days. Maybe you’re not much into fruits and veggies, or maybe you still have some good trips ahead. Either way, make sure you can include fruits and vegetables to help your body take a break and recover from the heavy holiday meals.
Avoid salty snack, fried foods, caffeine, alcohol, and strong spices or condiments. These tend to be highly irritant, making it more difficult for your digestive track to heal and go back to normal. (Quick tip: If you find transparent mucus in your poop, it could mean digestive inflammation. An easy sign to track after days of copious meals.)
Try stretching 5-10 minutes every day. Whether in the morning or in the evening, these mild movements will do wonders to your body. When you stretch, very tiny receptors in your tendons and ligaments will send a signal to release specific neurotransmitters from the muscles. These transmitters activate important processes like balancing blood sugar, releasing endorphins (happy hormones), and activating your metabolism—all of which fight inflammation in your body. Mind-blowing, right?
I will be teaching all this (and more) in detail in my upcoming new series ‘Basics Matter’, starting on January and all the way until July 2025. You’re welcome to join me! Your support means everything.
These post-Christmas days I’m feeling headachey and sluggish, with a heavy stomach and even heavier joints. Did you know that certain chronic digestive issues could impact your joints? Or that an irritable bowel can give you other seemingly unrelated symptoms like headaches, migraines, tiredness, mood swings, and lower back pain?
It all connects.
Your mind, body and emotions all live within the same frame that is you. We haven’t really been taught to see all the connectedness within our bodies, but the reality - as more and more scientists are finding out these days - is that our organs connect with each other more than we ever knew, and in the most fascinating ways.
From a medical perspective, we are taught all the basics in med school of course, but up until recently, there wasn’t an integrative approach. Despite going through Anatomy, Physiology, Physio-pathology, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and so much more, there was never really a string that would show us the mind-body-emotions connection as one. Personally, I always felt a big vacuum in our professional education regarding these topics. Thankfully, things have been slowly shifting and we see now more openness to cover, study and expand on this vital knowledge.
I’ve been a practising doctor for 17 years, and I still feel marvelled by the human body.
In fact, the more I practise, the more I discover things that weren’t taught on the books. It’s true that us doctors continue to study forever, but what no one told me is that it could actually be amazing fun! And that’s what I’m here for. To show you all the amazing fun things in health that you can put into practise, showing how much you can do to prevent, to stay healthy, and to understand your entire self better.
If you want to learn more about how your own body works, join me in January as the new series ‘Basics Matter’ hits off! During 6 months, you will receive two in-depth special editions where you will learn:
How your human body works
How to understand what your body is telling you
How to recognise what your body needs
How emotions connect with your body’s functions
How to keep track of your habits
How to improve your health through the simplest health hacks
How to prevent future ailments starting now
As for me, these days I will prioritise water intake, exercise and light foods to help my gut heal from the work overload after the holidays. We all need reminders from time to time and that’s okay. In fact, I’m happy to report that I had an early morning 30-minute walk today, followed by 1 litre of hydration and a satisfying breakfast that included scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. Already feeling better! (Reminder #1: movement is life.)
Going forward, I’ll read this sticky note (see image below) on the mirror to remind me every morning what I need to take care of, and check before bedtime what I accomplished throughout the day. Trying to remember these things might seem like a lot of work, but I promise you that after a short while, it becomes a natural part of your routine—just like brushing your teeth or putting on your pyjamas. Maybe this little post-it trick can help you too!
How about you? What are your go-to resources to help your body recover from the post-holiday indigestion?
Take care, rest, hydrate, and talk again soon!
Much love,
Dr. Mariana
Image Credits: Cover
I would add to your list. Avoid ultra processed foods. That is about 90% of food (like) products sold out n supermarkets and petrol f forecourts.
Thank you very much Mariana for your kind advice and information. It really helps to have someone in your corner when you need a pick me up. Lisa (Australia)