A naturopath’s guide to enjoying festive season food without the discomfort
The Christmas period is a beautiful time of connection, celebration, and—let’s be honest—a lot of eating. With social events, rich meals, disrupted routines, extra stress, travel, and irregular sleep, it’s no surprise many people experience bloating, indigestion, sluggish digestion, or gut discomfort at this time of year.
As a naturopath, my goal isn’t for you to restrict or feel guilty, it’s to support your body so you can enjoy the season while keeping your digestive system happy. Small, intentional habits can make a significant difference to digestion and nutrient absorption.
Never underestimate the power of mindful eating habits. Chewing your food properly stimulates salivary enzymes that signal to your stomach, pancreas, and gallbladder to prepare for digestion. Sitting down while eating also signals to the parasympathetic nervous system that you are in the “rest and digest” state, which allows for adequate digestive secretions. Putting your fork down between mouthfuls can encourage proper chewing to support these secretions.
Supplementing with digestive enzymes can be helpful during periods of higher stress, or eating outside the norm.Your pancreas naturally produces enzymes that break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates. But large meals, alcohol, eating quickly, aging, or stress can temporarily reduce enzyme efficiency, leading to bloating or heaviness after eating.
Use your food to your advantage, the sequence in which you eat foods can influence blood sugar, digestion, and fullness. Eating fibre and protein before refined carbohydrates helps stabilise post-meal glucose levels and slows gastric emptying, reducing bloating and energy crashes. Post- meal walks can also be helpful in reducing blood sugar spikes.
Holiday stress affects digestion more than most people realise. Stress hormones reduce stomach acid, slow motility, and worsen symptoms like reflux and bloating. Prioritising maintaining regular sleep where possible, spending time in nature, deep breathing or meditation, and saying no to events that overwhelm your schedule are all going to play a role in improving digestion.
By eating mindfully, using food order to your advantage, supporting your digestive system with fibre and enzymes, and managing stress, you can feel lighter, more energised, and more comfortable, even during this indulgent time of year.
For product recommendations, or individualised guidelines, come and chat to one of our practitioners.
Kristan Richards – BHSc Naturopathy
