HOW TO PREPARE YOUR GUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Donna Hayek, RD
Increase water consumption:
Drinking more water helps with dehydration, bloating and constipation. Drinking a glass of
water before a meal will keep you feeling fuller, therefore reducing your caloric intake for that
meal.
Eat slowly and mindfully:
Eating quickly causes gas and bloating because you are not chewing your food properly.
Slowing down and savoring your food also tells you brain that you are full quicker and keeps
you from over eating.
Increase fiber:
Increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains helps the digestive system move along, therefore
reduces constipation. Eating fiber will also keep you feeling fuller longer, thus decreasing
calories.
Decrease sugar and fatty foods:
This will help with decreasing the bad bacteria and increasing the healthy or good bacteria.
Take a probiotic:
This helps by reducing bloating, abdominal discomfort, constipation, flatulence and improving
gut function; which will make you feel better. It’s recommended to choose a probiotic with at
least one billion colony-forming units and contain Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus or
Sacharomyces; since these are the most researched probiotics. Probiotics are also found in
fermented foods like yogurt, buttermilk, sourdough bread, cottage cheese, tempeh, sauerkraut,
miso soup, kefir, apple cider vinegar and kombucha.
Exercise:
Exercising, especially aerobic exercise, helps decrease constipation due to movement and the
tendency that you will be drinking more water.
