So we've all been there . . . the old "overeating" during the holidays.
And as we know . . . overeating causes the stomach to expand beyond its normal size to adjust to the large amount of food we intake. And with this, the stomach now pushes against other organs, making us uncomfortable, which can make us fell tired, sluggish or drowsy.
Now . . . add to that . . . if the food we're overeating is full of sodium . . . we're now retaining extra fluid also.
So . . . 'tis the season for spiked eggnog, sugar cookies and finger foods galore, and now . . . we fell like we have a next-level food coma.
Okay . . . so how do we fix it???
Well . . . when it's a sodium problem . . . eating low-sodium, high-water foods such as citrus fruit, lettuce, bananas and cucumbers are excellent for reducing the water weight. Also drinking a lot more water will help to flush the body out.
Now . . . if the problem is overindulging, especially on carbohydrates . . . this activates an amino acid called "tryptophan" in the brain, which triggers sleepiness and fatigue.
Taking the branch-chain amino acids called valine, isoleucine and leucine which you can find in chicken, fish, dairy products and eggs can help with this issue. You see . . . they compete with the "tryptophan" and reduce and delay the post-feast lethargy so you feel less sluggish.
And to take care of that full, stuffed feeling . . . we need to help the stomach digest our food faster . . . and to do that, we should drink some kombucha (the low in sugar ones please), ginger tea (my favorite) or peppermint tea (we just spoke about peppermint the other day). These all help our food digest faster, relieving that uncomfortable feeling.
And finally . . . keep active . . . taking a walk after eating a big meal, can help to stimulate digestion and even help to regular our blood sugar levels.
So enjoy this holiday season, just don't overdo.
As always, feel free to contact me here.