Starting with Thanksgiving and moving through the New Year, there seem to be opportunities for perpetual feasting. Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas parties and family gatherings all provide a wide assortment of rich and varied foods that can entice us to overeat and combine foods and drink in ways that create discomfort, indigestion and, well...gas.
What do you do at these times? How do you handle these uncomfortable situations? Do you have a plan to keep from overeating? Have you designed strategies for maintaining your preferred diet? I am sure we could all benefit from hearing from one another, so share your ideas below.
When I experience indigestion, I enjoy drinking hot water with fresh ginger or a few drops of peppermint essential oil in it. This helps alleviate discomfort very quickly. Rubbing 1-2 drops of Young Living peppermint oil right on my stomach can be a great way to reduce both indigestion and gas. I am also a firm believer in taking digestive enzymes to help me break down foods and assist with digestion and absorption. Young Living's Essentialzyme and Essentialzyme-4 are both great multi-enzyme supplements that I have found to be very beneficial over the past 2 & 1/2 years.
Great herbs (and essential oils) for digestive issues are ginger, nutmeg, fennel, peppermint, cumin, spearmint and tarragon. Young Living sells a blend called DiGize that is extremely effective for all things digestive and intestinal, including IBS and parasites. It is a blend of tarragon, ginger, peppermint, juniper, fennel, lemongrass, anise, and patchouli. I have seen this one oil work wonders for bladder and urinary tract infections and IBS. It can be taken in a capsule (4-6 drops), several times a day for several weeks, to help with these more serious issues.
Other healthy strategies for reducing indigestion, acid reflux and other digestive issues are:
1) drinking a glass of water which increases pH, 2) increasing good bacteria through probiotics (like Life 5 & fermented foods, see kefir blog on 10/18/13), 3) increase Vitamin D, which is often depleted in the winter months, and 4) exercise.
1) drinking a glass of water which increases pH, 2) increasing good bacteria through probiotics (like Life 5 & fermented foods, see kefir blog on 10/18/13), 3) increase Vitamin D, which is often depleted in the winter months, and 4) exercise.
As you enjoy this season of plenty, don't forget that your body's immune system and overall health is dependent on what you feed it. The body is an incredible miracle and can heal itself and fight off harmful viruses and bacteria if well nourished. Eating more raw fruits and vegetables when at home can make eating a bit less healthy when at special events less detrimental.
My personal challenge will be to be more intentional this season so as to protect the health that I have been encouraging the rest of the year. It will be to keep food in its proper place of enjoyment without allowing it to be master.
How will you manage this season?
My personal challenge will be to be more intentional this season so as to protect the health that I have been encouraging the rest of the year. It will be to keep food in its proper place of enjoyment without allowing it to be master.
How will you manage this season?
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