Holidays are great, but many people tend to indulge a little too much, often left feeling gassy, bloated, nauseous and digestively upset. Learn why you may bloat more during the holiday season, what foods and supplements can help reduce bloating and how to add these suggestions to your holiday routine so you can feel great and still enjoy your wonderful festive season. 

Discover How Your Digestive System Works

Everyone's digestion is designed to work in specific ways. Optimally functioning, food goes in - is chewed well – enters your stomach which is an acidic environment to break down food – then goes into the small intestine which is alkaline where the pancreas, liver and gallbladder secrete fluids to continue to digest food so you can absorb nutrients.

Ensuring Optimal Digestion

Key ways to keep your digestive process running smoothly are to: 

• Chew Food Well & Eat Slowly – digestion starts in your mouth and eating slowly also allows you to better assess when you are full.
• Include Digestive Enzymes - Betaine HCL, Protease, Lipase, Cellulase, Pancreatin, Amylase can help digest protein, fat and carbohydrates.
• Avoid Foods You're Sensitive or Intolerant To – common foods that people are often intolerant to are wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, citrus, peanuts, and seafood. 
• Food Combining – some people are sensitive to certain combinations of foods. Common combos that negatively affect people are: protein-starch; protein-fruits; starch-fruit
• Wait 2 hrs Before Indulging in Dessert – this allows some digestion time between your meal and dessert. You may be too full for dessert or will have emptied enough of your dinner into your small intestine to accommodate dessert after waiting 2 hours. 
• Liver Function – healthy digestion depends on good liver function. Liver-supporting herbs like Dandelion and Milk thistle, along with bile salts and essential fatty acids help your liver to function properly. 
• Healthy Bowel Elimination – nothing feels less appealing than a big dinner when you are constipated. 1 to 2 bowel movements a day is key to a clean, healthy, functioning system. Ways to improve this are increased fibre like oats, flax seed, and psyllium. Magnesium and exercise, like an after-dinner walk, are also helpful ways to encourage more bowel movements.
• Drink Enough Water – your weight divided by 2 is the ounces per day you need.

Key Supplements For Bloating & Proper Digestion

The best practice for supporting your digestive health starts well before eating. To prepare your body for proper digestion, it needs to be stimulated by either the smell of food cooking or by a bitter taste. Unfortunately, in today's world, we cook things quickly or order out a lot; therefore, the aroma of food cooking isn't present long enough, or at all, for your body to be able to get ready for proper digestion. Our diet also doesn't consist of a lot of bitter foods, so your body isn't triggered to start the digestive process. Luckily, there are digestive bitters you can take 30 minutes before eating to help your body prepare itself for incoming food. Digestive bitters stimulate your body to release the bile from the pancreas, liver and gallbladder that are needed for proper digestion. 

Along with bitters, there are other supplements you can take while or after eating to support your body's digestive process, these supplements include:

• Dandelion
• Milk Thistle
• Bile Salts
• Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
• L-Glutamine (if you're concerned about having leaky gut)
• Charcoal 
• Licorice
• Ginger

Typical Use of Digestive Supplements

Digestive enzymes are usually in capsule or tablet form and are available at most health stores. A standard dose is usually 1 – 2 per meal.

Liver herbs, Bile salts and EFAs are usually found on their own or in combination formulas and these are usually taken with meals at 1 – 2 caps once to twice daily.

Fibre products can also be found at health food stores in capsule or powdered forms. 2 caps twice daily or 1 tsp daily are usually suggested with a meal.

Magnesium comes in powder or capsules and the citrate form would better encourage increased bowel movements.

All supplements come with a standard dosing chart on the label, please follow this or your healthcare practitioner's recommendations when taking any supplements. 

Shopping For Quality Supplements For Bloating

When shopping for supplements for bloating, or any supplement for that matter, choose brands that have a trusted history, use quality, pure ingredients and are Non-GMO or organic when possible. When selecting herbal supplements ones that are wild-harvested are best. 

If you are taking any medications, have any kind of surgery planned or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should speak with your healthcare provider before taking any supplements to ensure they are safe for you.