Avoiding the Holiday Binge

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

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by Maria Zilka

Nature Cures Clinic nutritional therapist

Years ago there was a popular commercial on television selling a well-known fizzy tablet designed to aid an over-acid stomach condition. Often there was portrayed an over-weight, middle-aged man in a tee shirt, scruffy faced and disheveled, lamenting over his exploit of over-eating. “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” was his sighing cry while his unsympathetic wife answered in a monotone “Believe it Harry.” It got a lot of laughs and was very effective advertising most likely because it was so relatable!

Over eating is a problem – and not always for the most obvious reason which is too many calories. The physiological effect on the body when we over eat is something to take heed of. Our digestive system is designed to process food into absorbable sized molecules so that the body can use these nutrients for energy, healing, restoration and balance. When we over eat we place such an enormous burden on this system that often many foods pass under processed from the stomach into the small intestine where all kinds of bad can happen!

Think of the small intestine as similar to that children’s toy that has several differently shaped pieces that must be matched up to the cut outs in a lid over a bucket. The child has to fit the shape to the cut out in order to solve the puzzle and fill the bucket. In a similar way – our food particles must be broken down to the right particle size in order to pass through the hair-like tubes that line the small intestine. Food particles of the right size will then be absorbed and utilized by the body. Food particles of the wrong size will stay in the intestine – fermenting and putrefying – causing bloating, gas and discomfort.

If this condition becomes chronic further dysfunction can occur including “leaky gut syndrome” where selectivity on what passes through is lost and the lining becomes “leaky.” This allows inappropriately sized proteins and fats to pass through which then overwhelm the immune system – which leads to more problems including allergies, impaired immune function and other imbalances.

There are a number of other physiological reasons for not over-eating including triggering over production of insulin, burdening the stomach (especially if your stomach acid is low – which is the more common condition with a high carb, western diet), and over eating non-enzymatic, processed foods. Any and all of these are causes for digestive upset and poor absorption of nutrients – leaving us over fed and under nourished!

To avoid this holiday eating pitfall and keep a very merry gut – here are some tips to keep in mind while sitting down to the dinner table (or lingering about the buffet table).

Relax, breathe and take it easy. Digestion happens in the parasympathetic state. There’s a reason we’d say “grace” before eating – it gave us time to get our bodies ready for food and our brains calmed down enough to allow digestion to take place.

Portion control. You really don’t have to “eat the whole thing.” Using smaller plates helps with this – no more super-sized dishware!

Chew slowly and completely. You should try to chew each bit at least 20 times. Try it – it’s not so easy and you’ll realize how little you actually chew if you start counting! It’s a great awareness exercise.

Make sure you have enough stomach acid. If you’re burping and uncomfortable after eating it may be that you are not producing sufficient stomach acid. If this is a common condition for you then it is important to address this with your health practitioner.

If you feel that your digestion is not quite right – or you are experiencing any issues with some of the condition listed above – we invite you to come into the clinic to discuss the proper protocol to help you regain your digestive balance.

Call us for a free consult or come on in and talk with your doctor – a happy gut is the key to wellness!

Image courtesy Pink Sherbet Photography

Tags: digestion, eating, holidays
Posted in Articles by our Doctors, Diet, Food, General, Maria Zilka | 1 Comment »