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Tips for a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving
So you’ve just finished a lovely Thanksgiving meal with the family, and now you just feel
so good and energetic that you feel like doing cartwheels, right? Probably not. Mixing all
those foods together puts the digestive system into overdrive, so much so that our
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bodies have little energy left for anything else but digesting. Here are some tips for avoiding that heavy, sluggish, “please leave me alone and let me sleep” feeling while still enjoying the deliciousness that is Thanksgiving:
Eat slowly. Chew your food until it is no longer
solid before swallowing. Your digestive system
will thank you! Remember, our stomachs
may secrete enzymes but they certainly don’t
have teeth. Chewing thoroughly is a crucial
component of healthy digestion. Plus, you get
to enjoy your food for that much longer!
Take digestive enzymes. They help
tremendously in the breakdown of food and
absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.
Take 1-2 capsules at the beginning of the meal,
and 1-2 afterwards. More can be taken if needed.
Since there is usually a vast selection of foods for
the Thanksgiving meal, choosing an enzyme
that digests protein, carbs, and fats is best. Look
for ingredients like betaine hydrochloride, bile,
and pancreatin.
No drinking allowed. Any liquid consumed
during a meal raises the pH of the stomach
acid, rendering it less acidic and therefore less
able to digest properly. The more liquid that is
drunk, the longer it will take for the stomach to
normalize and digest.
Rest and digest. You know how it feels when
food just sits in your stomach? It often happens
because you’re not giving your body the time it
needs to digest it. You are actually supposed to
rest after a meal, both body and mind. If your
energy is spent exercising or stressing, blood
flow is shunted away from the digestive system.
So get back on the couch! “Did she just say get
back on the couch?” Indeed, I did. Just don’t stay
there too long...
Laura Stokoe is a certified and registered
holistic nutritionist. She is the manager of the
Supplements and Personal Care department at
Goodness Me! on Upper Gage.
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