If you indulge the way most of us do on Thanksgiving you’ve no doubt experienced the discomfort of the post-thanksgiving meal bloat. Is it inevitable? Or can we enjoy a delicious home-cooked turkey dinner without feeling like a stuffed turkey? The culprits to this bloat lie in the sheer amount of food we tend to eat and the types of savory grub we decide to devour.
Excess Carbs/FODMAPs:
Thanksgiving Day fare tends to be carb/sugar-heavy. Our bodies have trouble digesting some of the sugars in these foods, called FODMAPs which stands for (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, Polyols). Fruit juice, canned fruit, grains, dairy, beans, and some veggies are considered high-FODMAP foods. The undigested carbs from these foods accumulate in the body, attracting excess gas and liquid resulting in bloating.
Salt, Salt, Salty:
Thanksgiving foods often are high in salt with gravy, casseroles, brined turkey, and mashed
potatoes topping the list. After overeating salt, your body holds onto water because it’s trying to prevent dehydration. One way to fight this is by drinking water. Drinking more water reminds your body that you’re not dehydrated and helps to flush the excess water and sodium out of your system reducing bloat.
Low HCL/Lack of Digestive Enzymes:
Food stimulates the release of HCL (stomach acid) and digestive enzymes to digest our food. When HCL is low, it hinders the release of digestive enzymes and causes food and nutrients not to be broken down, resulting in bloating and gas.
Try supplementing with a good digestive enzyme formula to help this process if you think you might be low! We recommend HCL Enhance by our in-house supplement brand, CHI4Health.
HCL Enhance by CHI4Health
$39.00
Carbonated/Sugary Drinks:
Carbonation in soda and sparkling water is literally gas mixed with water. Soda combined with an already huge meal can exacerbate bloating. Since sodas are packed with sugar they can draw water into the large intestine and prevent it from being absorbed properly. This can lead to bloating or a feeling of heaviness in the gut. Now that you know what’s causing the bloat, go easy on the bloat boosters above.
5 Tips to Beat Thanksgiving Bloat:
#1: Drink More Water
#2: Potassium-rich foods help remove sodium
#3: Moving stimulates the gas passage
#4: Mint tea has flavonoids known to ease bloat
#5: Skip gassy culprits like a carbonated beverage