Eat, Drink & Be Merry!
Here’s 8 ways to good gut health this Christmas! (thank us later)…
Hands up who’s looking forward to sticking the Out of Office on, collapsing on the sofa and blissfully (over) indulging?
The Christmas food stash is currently piled high here at Dwell HQ, just waiting to be unwrapped; but this year, wouldn’t it be nice not to have to make Gaviscon your drink of choice, or forfeit the prosecco for peppermint tea come Boxing Day?
Well guess what, the lovely Nikki Harris is going to help us have a very happy (gut) Christmas by sharing her no-nonsense festive words of wisdom!
The Devon-based nutritional therapist is an absolute Queen when it comes to good gut health and has first-hand experience of the transformative benefits a few dietary and lifestyle tweaks can bring.
If you’re planning on jumping on the New Year New You vibe, you should absolutely look her up. But in the meantime, you can help yourself through the festive period first and get your gut back in balance with Nikki’s top tips.
Cheers to that!
1/ Pass on the sugar
If you can avoid one thing, avoid sugar in vast amounts. Sugar is inflammatory; it feeds the pathogenic bacteria which can damage the lining of your gut and lead to more inflammation and toxins being released into the bloodstream, causing further health issues.
Sugar can lead to more bloating, especially if you have candida overgrowth and heartburn too. Swap out for unsalted nuts and, if you can tolerate it, some dried fruit (this can also cause bloating, so if you experience this I would avoid and stick to nuts, olives, slices of meat and dried beans such as roasted chickpeas or broad beans, often found in deli’s).
2/ Chew, chew, chew
It sounds simple but I always advise to chew your food until liquified. This takes the pressure off your digestive system, which will likely already be overwhelmed at this time of year.
Try a digestive tea if you feel bloated or full. Peppermint (although avoid if you have heartburn, as it relaxes the sphincter and can allow acid to wash up the throat), ginger, fennel, gentian root, dandelion and artichoke are all options.
3/Dark is better
If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend opting for dark chocolate, 70% or higher - it has less sugar and cacao helps to support the gut lining. Add a couple of nuts as the fibre from the nuts will help to support elimination.
Choose dates filled with walnuts or almond nut butter topped with a Brazil nut and don’t overdo the dried fruit as, after all, this is still a high-sugar food. But adding nuts helps to blunt any sugar spike that can lead to low energy dips and weight gain.
4/ Go easy on the booze
I love a glass of red but not the whole bottle. Enjoy a glass of red wine, which is rich in the polyphenol antioxidant resveratrol but then follow it with a glass of filtered water.
I recommend limiting yourself to 1-3 glasses a week and to avoid binge drinking, which is more than around 5 alcoholic drinks a day.
Alcohol also impacts our gut health and disrupts the delicate microbiome balance. If we have dysbiosis (an imbalance between our gut bacteria) then we can experience gut-related issues such as bloating, excess gas, constipation and/ or diarrhoea.
5/ Be food smart
If heading to friends, family or a party where healthier options may not be available, opt for plant protein-rich snacks where you can that are rich in fibre. A word of warning though: too much fibre may not help someone with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Foods such as olives, a handful of nuts, falafels, hummus and crudites are all great options. Avoid crisps, cake, potatoes/chips, and pastries - the kind of “beige food” that’s devoid of any fibre, so will slow down transit time and aggravate constipation.
6/ Ginger & artichoke
Adding fresh ginger to a morning smoothie or adding to a herbal tea helps to stimulate the muscle of our digestive system. Artichokes are also beneficial in helping to “move food along”. Look out for recipes or teas containing this unloved veg with huge benefits.
7/ Opt for winter teas
This is the time of year to indulge in warming teas that sing of wintertime and cosy days in by the fire. If you’re wrapping presents, watching a movie or in the kitchen prepping the veg, make a brew.
Choose ones rich in spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric, which are perfect and great for your gut health and naturally anti-inflammatory. These are also nice chilled and served in a wine glass with some ice and a slice of dried or fresh orange, perfect if you want an evening where you’re not drinking.
8/ Eat food in season
Whip up hearty soups and stews made with beans and pulses in a slow cooker. Throw all the ingredients in during the morning, get out for a brisk walk and come back to a thick, nutritious and gut-friendly bowl of goodness.
Those magical days between Christmas and New Year are an ideal time to use up all that turkey. Add it to soups and stews with lentils, or warm salads; pack dishes out with roasted squashes, sweet potato and other seasonal foods where you can.
Who needs Rennie when you know Nikki?!
Some great advice here and there’s even more tailored to you just a call or message away (clickety-click below). You’ll be well on your way to a happy new year!
