Gut-friendly Christmas: 6 ways to protect your health
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While December can be great for our social lives, it’s not always so good for our body. It’s not uncommon to suffer end-of-year burnout as we slowly slip into January. The party season puts our physical and mental health under a huge amount of pressure. Seven out of 10 Brits have have admitted the burden of Christmas negatively affects their mental health, reporting feeling overwhelmed, anxious and tired. Plus, the increasing cost of living can only add to this.
Add to the mix, extra alcohol consumption and a diversion from our regular diet as the buffet spreads come out in full force, (according to scientists at Birmingham University the average person can consume 6,000 calories on Christmas Day alone — that’s three times the recommended daily allowance), and it's no wonder our wellbeing can take a battering — specifically our digestive health.
But fear not: we're not suggesting your Christmas diet has to be perfect — if there’s any time to break free from the diet shackles it’s now — but with a few tricks up your sleeve you can safeguard your gut from seasonal sluggishness and enjoy Christmas symptom-free.
Nothing screams ‘party food’ better than a pretty array of canapes, but shop-bought festive faves like cheesy puffs and sausage rolls are usually packed with additives that can actually dwindle down the number of beneficial bacteria that reside in the gut. This can leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
