If your Thanksgiving is anything like most people in the US, your gut is going to have a great deal to process over these next few days. To be fair, it is hard not to let loose and indulge during the holidays with some comfort food, loving company, and festive vibes.
With that, it’s easy to overeat. And, while your taste buds are celebrating, your gut is fighting an uphill battle. In order to understand exactly what it is you are putting your system through, you must understand what the digestive system is, how it works, and how it adapts to such heavy loads.
The Wonders of the Digestive System
Technically speaking, the digestive system is a long tube running from your mouth where the food goes in, to your anus where waste comes out. However, it is much more than just a fleshy pipe. It is actually one of the most complex, impressive, and important systems in the body.
Your gut is responsible for much more than digesting food. It contains bacteria that are largely responsible for important body functions and have the capability to affect the body’s nutrient absorption, hormone regulation, immune response, skin health, mental health, weight loss, and more. The functions themselves are a combination of mechanical and chemical processes.
The mechanical processes involve contraction and relaxation of muscles along the gut. These are the movements responsible for swallowing, digestion in the stomach and intestines, and most importantly, the transit of the food and waste products. These contractions also prevent the back-flow of food.
On the other hand, chemical processes in the digestive systems are facilitated mainly by digestive enzymes produced by specialized cells along the gut. Digestive enzymes break down foods through chemical reactions at a molecular level. The main groups of digestive enzymes are amylases that work on carbohydrates, proteases that break down proteins, and lipases that break down lipids.
Once all the food is broken down into nutrients in their molecular form, the nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. This happens mainly in the intestines but could start as early as in the mouth and stomach. And just like that, what was turkey and stuffing are now proteins and carbohydrate molecules making their way to different cells all over the body for different functions.
What Happens If You Take It Too Far?
When we overindulge we end up overburdening the already overworked system. Remember, we have both chemical and mechanical processes that occur during digestion, and an overworked system impacts both. It’s typically enzymes (chemical) and the muscle contractions (mechanical) that receive the greatest impact.
The body produces and stores a limited amount of digestive enzymes. Remember, these are the friendly helpers that break down the food consumed. When too much food comes in, we can end up with an enzyme shortage.
On the mechanical side of things, when the stomach is too full it can prohibit the gut muscles from contracting as they should simply because there is no more room.
The result? A variety of forms of digestive discomfort (think bloating, indigestion, and more).
Supporting Digestive Functions During the Holiday Season and Beyond
So how do you get this system back up on its feet after taking such a hit? Try these tips.
1. Watch Your Portions
This might seem difficult but it is actually the best way to prevent overloading your digestive system whether it is during the holidays or not. Everyone’s gut capacity and satiety levels are different based on everything from genetics to activity levels. The general rule is that you should stop when your body tells you to, whether it is a reduction in appetite or the actual, physical feeling of fullness in your stomach.
2. Pace Yourself
Slow down and enjoy your food. There’s no need to rush. The simple act of slowing down and chewing your food prevents swallowing too much air which mainly affects the mechanical functionality of the digestive tract.
3. Try Healthier Recipes
The quality of your food has a great impact on the health of your gut. Trade processed and packaged foods for nutrient-loaded whole food recipes that provide both your gut and entire body with nourishment.
4. Drink Lots of Water
Water helps with the breakdown and transit of solid food along the digestive tract. It is also filling and is therefore a great way to prevent overeating. So make sure to drink plenty of water especially during the very busy holiday season.
5. Digestive Enzyme Supplements
These mighty enzymes are responsible for facilitating digestion from the mouth all the way to the intestines and occur naturally in the body. However, as mentioned above, we can easily run into an enzyme shortage, especially during the holiday season. And, when we don’t have adequate enzymes to help breakdown and assimilate the food we consume we can experience digestive discomfort.
That’s where supplementing comes in. With Enzymes from New Earth, it’s as easy as one capsule before, with, or after a meal to help support a happy and healthy belly.
6. Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplements
There are over 1,000 species of the tens of trillions of small organisms that live in your gut. These organisms make up the gut microbiome and have a profound and direct impact on your health.
The beneficial bacteria that make up your gut microbiome are largely responsible for important body functions and have the capability to affect your body’s mineral and vitamin absorbency, digestion, immune response, and the body’s ability to get rid of toxins and more.
This is where probiotics by New Earth come into play, reseeding your gut microbiome daily.
Complete Gut Support in One Package
Let’s face it, we are only human which means we are not perfect, especially when it comes to diet during the holidays. That’s where Essentials comes in, the complete gut support packet by New Earth.
Essentials is a combination of beneficial probiotics that seed the gut with healthy bacteria, digestive enzymes that help break down and assimilate food, and organic Wild Microalgae™, a wild superfood that is loaded with amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and more. It’s the perfect combination of supplements to help get your gut health back on track as you navigate the holiday season.
The best part? It comes with a 60-day risk-free money-back guarantee.