Prioritising gut health during the festive season
The festive season can challenge your gut health and digestion due to increased consumption of rich foods, higher stress levels, disrupted routines, and excess alcohol intake. If you're wondering how to improve gut health, here are the top tips for looking after your gut this Christmas.
The festive season's impact on gut health
Overeating: Excessive food intake leads to delayed gastric emptying, increased gastric acid production, and mechanical stress on the lower oesophageal sphincter, contributing to poor digestion, heartburn and reduced production of enzymes.
Stress: Chronic stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to increased cortisol levels, which can alter gut motility, slow digestion, increase intestinal permeability, decrease the production of enzymes and disrupt the gut microbiome, which negatively affects digestion.
Alcohol: Excess alcohol impairs the mucosal barrier and promotes dysbiosis, increasing inflammation and the risk of gut permeability. You may also be interested in reading '5 signs your liver needs a detox'.
Feeling pressure to drink around Christmas time
During the festive period, the social events may come with pressure to drink alcohol, which can be detrimental to digestive health. There are many drinks that can be enjoyed without alcohol. Experiment with mocktails, try cinnamon tea, kombucha or herbal teas to help maintain digestive balance while still allowing you to join in the celebrations. You might want to give our 'relaxing cherry & lavender mocktail (Ve)' or 'refreshing watermelon mint mocktail (Ve)' a go in replacement of an alcoholic drink this Christmas!
Vaginal pH imbalances due to increased sugar intake
The increase in sugar intake over Christmas can have a detrimental effect on vaginal health as it can disrupt the vaginal pH, and encourage the growth of candida, leading to yeast infections. Sugar decreases the growth of probiotics like the lactobacillus species, making the vagina more susceptible to other infections.
Be watchful of sugar intake: No one is saying you can't enjoy festive treats; however, it is about tailoring them to keep sugar intake low where possible. Dark chocolate has many health benefits and is a good option when reaching for a sweet treat. Why not give our 'vegan chocolate mousse tart (Ve) a go'? Packed full of healthy fats, nuts, seeds and more, it's the perfect dessert to wow your dinner party guests this Christmas!
How good is what you're putting into your diet? Create your free diet profile now to find out.
How to improve gut health with gut-nourishing foods
High-Fibre Foods: Fibre supports gut motility and is fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), strengthening intestinal barrier integrity and modulating inflammation. Read more in 'difference between soluble & insoluble fibre'.
Fermented Foods: These contain live microbes that enhance microbial diversity and suppress pathogenic bacteria. Live microbes produce digestive enzymes, which aid digestion. Research concludes that fermented foods should be considered an important element of the human diet. Try incorporating some of these into your festive feasts:
- Plant-based yoghurt dips
- Kombucha
- Kimchi slaw
- Sourdough bread rolls
- Jun (fermented green tea with honey)
- Tepache (fermented pineapple drink),
- Sauerkraut and pickles (when naturally fermented with brine, not vinegar).
These taste great, and your digestion will thank you!
Polyphenol-rich foods: Berries, teas, and dark chocolate are rich in polyphenols that promote beneficial bacteria and act as prebiotics. Dark chocolate is the way to go this Christmas!
Preparing the gut for festive challenges
Smaller meals: Smaller meals prevent overeating-associated gut stress by decreasing gastric distension and digestive enzyme workload.
Mindful eating: Mindful eating encourages efficient secretion of digestive enzymes and reduces stress-related dyspepsia.
Healthier festive food alternatives
Substitute high-fat, high-sugar dishes with nutrient-dense options, like roasted vegetables or fibre-rich desserts, to reduce post-meal glycemic spikes and promote satiety. Check out the DR.VEGAN® recipes hub for some delicious vegan alternatives that won't compromise your gut!
Lifestyle interventions for gut health
Focus on sleep: When we sleep, especially during deep sleep, the autonomic nervous system (which controls involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion) becomes more active. This helps regulate peristalsis, the wave-like contractions that move food through the digestive system.
Stress management: In a DR.VEGAN® survey of over 545 people, more than 53% of customers said they feel anxious or stressed every day. This only intensifies during the festive period due to the pressures of socialising, drinking, lack of sleep and more, all of which can upset the gut.
Mindfulness practices activate the "rest and digest" system, opposite to the "fight or flight" response. This shift helps lower cortisol and other stress hormones. Stress can disrupt the gut microbiome, causing imbalances that contribute to inflammation, leaky gut, and poor digestion.
Alcohol moderation: Ethanol, the active component in alcohol, has been shown to exacerbate intestinal permeability (commonly referred to as "leaky gut") and dysbiosis (an imbalance in the gut microbiome), both of which can have detrimental effects on digestion and overall health.
Exercise: Try incorporating some gentle physical activity into your festive routine, as this enhances intestinal blood flow, motility, and microbial diversity.
What supplements can you take to support your gut?
Probiotics: Strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium modulate gut microbiota, enhance mucosal barrier function, produce digestive enzymes and reduce inflammation via SCFA production and enhance digestion.
DR.VEGAN's Gut Works® is an award-winning, high-potency probiotic with 6 scientifically studied strains of probiotics and prebiotics, and contains 50 billion CFU. Designed to support microbiome balance and immune function, this supplement is the perfect addition to your busy festive schedule, as it helps to fuel energy levels, support mental performance, bloating, fatigue, constipation, diarrhoea and more.
DR.VEGAN's Debloat & Detox is a botanical blend containing herbs like fennel and artichoke extract, which stimulate bile flow, improve fat digestion and alleviate bloating by reducing intestinal gas. Take before your night out and wake up feeling refreshed!
Conclusion
In summary, you can give your gut the support it needs to carry you through the festive season and into the new year by prioritising nourishing foods and practicing mindful eating. Other factors, including managing stress levels, ensuring you're getting enough sleep, and incorporating exercise into your daily routine, can also help. With these strategies, you can enjoy the festive season while still nurturing your gut and sustaining overall health.
View our range of award-winning supplements and probiotics.
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- "Our food system is broken"
- How gut health affects the skin
- The 'Gut-Hormone Connection' explained
- Does menopause cause gut issues?
- What does your poo say about your health?
- What do your farts say about your health?
- Is gut health and erectile dysfunction linked?
References
1. Fermented foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/7/1527
