4 Naturopathic Tips For That After Thanksgiving Bloat
Posted by Dr. Della Parker on November 24, 2017
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to be thankful for family, thankful for friends, thankful for the bounty of a great meal with holiday favorites like turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pie. The bloated feeling afterward? Not so thankful for. We have four great tips that may help with digestion and getting your energy back.
BREW SOME GINGER TEA
There are multiple benefits to ginger tea; most have to do with digestion. Many naturopathic doctors recommend tea for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), relieving gas, relieving heartburn, boosting nutrient absorption, and even ease motion sickness. In this case, after a huge Thanksgiving meal, it will help with digestion. It’s easy to brew your own. All you need is a 1-inch chunk of ginger root cut into thin slices for every 1-2 cups of boiling water. Add a ½ tsp of fennel for more help with digestion while adding a sweet perfume to the tea.
SPEND 20 MINUTES RELAXING & BREATHING
You can do this while you are sipping your tea or listening to some music. The muscles used for breathing are also key to digestion. Try this, while you are sitting upright practice breathing deeply and slowly, in and out, using the muscles at the top of your belly. Most weekends after Thanksgiving can be filled with running around visiting families or even shopping, so make sure you give yourself about 20 minutes to be mindful of your breathing.
RUB YOUR BELLY
You can manually stimulate your muscles in your large intestine if you rub your abdomen in a clockwise motion. You are helping your body properly eliminate and push food down the track. This is best done while lying on your back and in the morning or a few hours after a meal.
Before you start rubbing take a few deep breaths to get yourself relaxed. Start by putting your right thumb on your belly button and your pinky on your hip bone, identify where your middle finger lands and very gently begin to rub in a small clockwise motion and then continue up to the rib cage, across your abdomen and then back down towards your belly button.
GO FOR A POST-MEAL WALK
There are two independent studies that are specific to how a post-meal walk can aid in digestion. One study specifically tested the rate at which food digests with a post-meal walk. Spoiler alert; it speeds up digestion. Another study expanded other benefits of a post-meal walk. Walking after a meal clears glucose from the blood stream and helps move food through your system quicker. A stroll around the block for 15 minutes or more should do the trick!
BONUS TIP: TRY SOME YOGA FOR DIGESTIVE FLOW
Yoga with Adriene is a YouTube channel that has a lot of great routines for specific goals. In the video below, Adriene shares a 25-minute workout specifically for the holiday bloat and help with digestion. This video is perfect for newbies to Yoga.
Any or all of these tips will give you that extra advantage to help with digestion after a huge holiday meal. These tips are also helpful all year-round if you have been having issues with digestion and upset tummys.