You’re probably expecting a list of low-calorie swaps for traditional holiday foods, or “fat-burner” workouts. That’s not what this post is about because that’s not what gut health during the holidays includes.
SKH Note: This post was written by Trinity, who is part of team A Gutsy Girl.
Healthy Holiday
Staying healthy over the holidays means more than just diet and movement (which are important but not the end all be all).
It means getting enough sleep, taking time for self-care, using non-toxic products, staying hydrated, warding off SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder + the Standard American Diet), and eating mindfully. And most importantly, throughout the season, enjoy being in the moment and appreciating the health you do have.
It’s easy to make a low FODMAP holiday cookie or gluten-free Christmas dinner, but the real work comes with managing all of the other factors that play a role in your gut’s health.
If you’re going into this holiday season while also focused on gut-healing you might have one of two different expectations.
- One, you’re expecting to be miserable and miss out on a “normal” holiday season.
- Or two, you’ve decided to ignore your gut health for the month and deal with the bloating, extra time in the bathroom, and other consequences because you don’t want to miss anything this season!
Neither of these scenarios has to be you this year.
Today I want to share with you a holistic perspective on staying healthy this holiday season.
While all of us are bioindividual with the factors that shape our gut health and overall health, these five are a few of the most common with the highest potential to improve your health this month.
Gut Health During the Holidays {5 Tips You Might Not Expect}
Click HERE to save these 5 tips for gut health during the holidays for later.
Eat Mindfully.
I began my gut healing journey with a long list of foods to avoid (You can read more about my journey HERE) and was so anxious for my first holiday season with dietary restrictions. Not only will anxiety ruin the meal or event, but it’s bad for digestion.
Making a plan of action for approaching Christmas parties or Christmas dinner helped put my food anxiety to rest. When making my plan, I thought of all the Christmas foods I loved and couldn’t imagine the holiday without. If there was a way to alter them to fit with my healing diet I did and prepared them differently.
For almost everything, there was an alternative. For the ones that had no alternative, I asked myself whether the physical discomfort of eating those was worth it.
As someone with celiac disease, asking myself this question immediately ruled out all foods with gluten in them. But dishes with a little bit of dairy that would only cause me a bit of discomfort were worth it, and I enjoyed a few of those in moderation!
Takeaway: Be mindful about what you choose to eat. Weigh out whether the physical discomfort is worth it or not, then don’t dwell on it! Make decisions about food in advance to reduce eating anxiety, then be confident in what you chose and push aside any feelings of guilt that may creep in.
Sleep.
No matter how many preparations you’re making for this season, sacrificing your sleep isn’t worth it.
Not only do you need sleep to function fully and feel your best, but less sleep means more cravings, more mood fluctuations, and less time for your gut to rest and digest every night.
If you are indulging in foods that you find more difficult to digest, it’s even more important to rest after a meal and rest at night.
Repeat after me…I WILL take care of myself.
This may be a season of gifting and giving to others, but the hustle and bustle of the season only makes it even more important to fill your own cup.
Stress relief and calming your innate fight or flight response during this time of the year not only make this season much more enjoyable but also supports digestion. I highly suggest looking into natural medicine alternatives to help reduce stress.
Taking care of yourself this month can come in the form of little things like daily meditation, journaling, walks, baths, or anything else that puts you at ease.
It can also be bigger things you plan ahead of time knowing how stressful this month is.
One example is to book a massage on a day leading up to Christmas when you know you’ll need a release from last-minute preparations. Scheduling self-care into your day and your month is an active way to make it a priority and avoid running out of time for it.
Movement
First things first… Movement is not punishment for eating nor is it something you have to do to earn food.
Movement can be a really powerful tool for gut healing and is even more important this holiday season when we’re stuck inside more than ever.
It helps reduce stress, can help detoxify your body when you sweat, and going on a short walk before or after a meal can help stimulate digestion and lower blood-sugar spikes.
However, doing too intense of a workout can put stress on your body and be detrimental to digestion.
Be gentle with your body this holiday season mentally and physically with movement.
Use movement as a positive tool for boosting your mood, detoxifying your body, and aiding with digestion, not as a punishment for eating.
Digest Plus
Looking for something quick and easy that you can bring along with you in your purse?
Grab a bottle of A Gutsy Girl’s Digest Plus.
Digest Plus was created for times like this, and for you – exactly you!
Digest Plus is a powerful digestive support formula designed to optimize healthy digestion and help reduce occasional GI discomfort after meals.
And isn’t THAT exactly what you’re trying to do to “get through those heavier holiday meals?!”
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Environmental Toxins
Your body’s toxic load influences your microbiome and makes it more difficult to rest and digest by occupying your body with detoxification rather than digestion.
With extra cleaning for guests, holiday-scented candles, pinecones, and aerosols, wearing more makeup for events, and more processed foods, your body is exposed to extra amounts of toxins this month.
Using non-toxic cleaning products, non-toxic beauty products, and essential oils rather than artificial scents are all great ways to reduce your exposure to toxins this holiday season.
Holistic Approach to the Holiday Season {is your Mindset}
This holistic approach to health is a mindset I wholeheartedly believe in and share with all of my clients.
It’s overwhelming to look at a list of every factor that could be affecting your health and gut health and try to decipher which ones are affecting your health the most, and then which order to address them in.
There are two ways to make this process of sorting through factors 100x easier.
- Use the Healing Blooms from Within Journal.
- Work with a health coach!
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
- 2022 Holiday Wish List
- DIY Herb-Infused Olive Oil {Bonus: Holiday Gift Idea}
- 11 Gut Health Holiday Season Survival Tips
Xox,
SKH
You will heal. I will help.
