“Eating is a natural way to feel happy. Overeating isn’t,” Deepak Chopra
G’day mate! 🙂 How is your Monday holding up? I woke up really late today, need I say more? Today I bring to you an awesome post I collaborated with Roxana, a fellow blogger from Sydney, Australia (her blog is amazing). We chose this subject seeing that it is so common, especially in January when eaters remorse sets in, but worry not Roxana and I will help you heal your tummy.
Holiday’s are always a time of overwhelming joy, but happiness isn’t the only thing overflowing during these festive days; there’s also the delicious holiday food (which is very often not really healthy) enjoying roasted meats to baked pork chops. During these festivities, you can surely feel the regrets catching up as you try to button up your favourite skinny jeans. Unfortunately, unflattering jeans aren’t the only consequence of your poor diet choices. Also we know Christmas is not the only holiday we over-indulge in during the year, so this is to help keep you in track regardless of what holiday you may find yourself overeating.
What Happens to Your Body after Over-Indulging?
So, remember that last roast potato you took? You know you didn’t need it. The main function of your digestive system is to turn the food you consume into a useful currency, that your body uses or stores for later use. When you eat too much, your stomach expands and you feel very full.
Overeating leads to indigestion; that’s when the stomach acid churns up into the part of your digestive system that connects mouth and stomach. Also, your body has to divert that enormous amount of energy which makes you feel tired. The most drastic consequences from overeating are stomach bursting and death (very rare, but possible).
Eating too much at one time is very stressful for your digestive system, especially when the food is not properly digested, which is common in overeating. This causes intestinal inflammation and irritation and can lead to leaky gut syndrome. This condition causes poor absorption of minerals and vitamins and other digestive issues.
How to Heal?
- The deed is done, and now it is time to get back on your feet and give your tummy the treatment it deserves. There are several things you can do in order to accomplish that.
- Start your day by drinking a glass of lukewarm water with a few drops of lemon. This beverage can serve as a liver tonic and kick-start your metabolism.
- Follow up with a green smoothie for breakfast or alkalizing green juice. These are usually very effective detoxifiers that can give you the much-needed dose of vitamins and minerals and help your stomach go through this stressful period much easier.
- Empty your bowels properly. Keep your knees closer to your chest while doing it (use a stack of books or boxes to raise your feet up).
- Combine your food properly and avoid heavy combinations, such as meat and potatoes and cheese and starches.
- Include easily digestible meals into an everyday diet. The best choice would be vegetable soups, but you can also try some dairy products (yoghurt, cottage cheese and soft cheeses), low-acid juices, smoothies and raw chopped salads.
- Drink herbal teas and magnesium. As for the teas, choose some that ease digestion, such as ginger, fennel, rosemary, peppermint and lavender.
- Exercising is always a great way to get back on the right track after holiday indulging season, but it can be really hard in the first couple of days after Christmas and New Year’s eve. So, instead of getting started with cardio right away, you can do some yoga stretches and focus on poses that relieve bloating and improve digestion (e.g. seated twist, downward dog, cat/cow…).
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
In the end, your mental outlook will play a huge role in your recovery after the festive season. Negative energy and thoughts can only add fuel to the fire. Yes, you’ve over-indulged, but you had a great time with your friends and family. Don’t focus on the past, but direct all your energy toward healing.
Eating more than you can bear is a common thing during the holidays. This can have various consequences, from the harmless ones to something more serious. Giving your body all it needs to recover is the best you can do after this period.
P.S. Next week I will have my post on her blog, be sure to check it out! Do tell me if you would like to see more posts like these where I collaborate with other bloggers.
Keep Smiling 🙂
Simply Siro