Brenda Gill: Prepare for the Holiday Season, Digestion-Wise
By Rossland Telegraph
After being at a Christmas party this weekend, I was reminded of how rich the foods tend to be. It’s that time of year when all of us tend to indulge. This will give you some tools for that holiday season, when we all tend to eat mixtures of foods, rich combinations of foods and sometimes just darn too much food!
· Try to choose small amounts of rich foods, so that you can enjoy the tastes of the season, but, don’t put too much load on the digestive system all at one time
· Choose a mix of fresh veggies along with the other dishes so there is a better balance of foods that are easier to break down compared to the others that take longer
· Choose mostly foods that are on their own, such as turkey, chicken, raw/sautéed/roasted veggies and fruit salad. Sushi is a nice choice of a fresh veggie/fish combination
· Choose small amounts of those rich combinations of food such as individual quiches, crackers and cheeses, roasted/salted nuts, cheese stuffed veggies, chicken wings, stuffed mushrooms—-all those foods that when you pick them up they leave an oil residue on your fingers
· For desserts, choose mostly fresh fruits
· Choose small amounts of squares, cookies and other rich desserts
For those that had a hard time with the above suggestions, here is some relief for abdominal upset:
· Take any combination of dill, caraway, anise, fennel, peppermint and ginger and steep 15-20 min. with enough boiling water to cover by 4 inches. Filter and take 1tsp.-1 tbsp. as needed.
· Massage abdomen and back with peppermint oil diluted in 1 tbsp. olive oil and apply a hot water bottle to abdominal area
· Drink calming teas such as Tension Tamer, chamomile or Sleepytime teas
· Drink digestive teas such as ginger, licorice or any of the spicy teas, such as Cocoa spice, Indian spice, Bengal spice or Sugar plum spice tea
· Take a digestive enzyme after eating a rich meal or take a digestive enzyme after coming home. It will encourage the breakdown of the rich foods
· Drink lots of herbal tea the day after the party to help the liver break down the foods
· For Diarrhea- Use mild peppermint and raspberry leaf tea with a squirt of lemon juice and add honey if needed
· Make a barley soup with grated carrot, parsley, cabbage and leeks
· Mix apple sauce and carob powder and use as needed
· For Constipation- Take 1 tsp. Anise or fennel seeds and crush them in a coffee grinder. Pour ½ c. boiling water or warmed apple/prune juice over the aromatic seeds. Let it sit for 10 minutes. When the fluid is cool, filter the tea over 1 tbsp. of flax seeds and let it sit for 30 min. Stir and use the liquid above the seeds. Take 2-4 tbsp. 2-3 times/d until the constipation is resolved
· Add 1 tbsp psyllium seed/husk to a neutral juice, such as pear, peach, mango, cherry or grape and drink as needed
· Rub castor oil on abdomen at night after getting home from that party
Brenda Gill is a naturopath practicing in Rossland, BC.
