Help Your Digestive System Recover from Rich Holiday Meals!
Hello Simmer and Stir enthusiasts! Welcome to my blog and to my very first blog post. If you are here you may have seen one of my YouTube videos on “Tummy Soothing Recipes” for January. A little about me and why I decided to launch my YouTube Channel and my blog with this particular topic. We’ve all been there. Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve is packed full of delicious and indulgent, often high-fat, high-sugar, heavy foods that we rightfully enjoy. It’s celebration time!—Until January 1st, at which point, the food hangover from two months of overindulgence sets. All that time spent overindulging comes to bear in the form of digestive issues.
When A Healthy Diet Goes Horribly Wrong
Heartburn, acid-reflux, intestinal distress and nausea send us running to the bathroom, medicine cabinet and doctor’s office for relief. More often than not, we swear off all the high fat foods we’ve been eating and vow to live only on salads for the next 6 months. This was my usual story for years, but last year’s (2020) holiday season things went horribly wrong. I have had GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) for years, but it was well managed. Only rarely did I have to take any medication to control it. After a stressful and indulgent holiday season, I decided to increase my raw vegetable intake, cut the fat and fill myself full of all the fresh foods and fiber I had been craving. Nothing could be healthier—right? My goal was the often cited “five-a-day” for fruits and vegetables. For me, that meant 500 grams of fruits and mainly raw veggies in the form of salads, on top of daily servings of bran cereal and yogurt. Within a couple weeks, my acid reflux got so bad that I had to start taking over-the-counter acid reducers daily. When this failed to control my digestive issues, I reduced my intake of raw produce and food in general until I was on the blandest of diets. Still, I couldn’t lie down at night because I couldn’t breathe due to food regurgitating into my throat. I also had a constant feeling of a lump in my throat and occasional waves of nausea. (At this point you’re probably thinking this is a pretty gross first entry for a food blog and you’re right but I promise I’m getting to the point.) After a couple weeks of this, and the unexpected death of one of my husband’s co-workers from esophageal cancer, I was really concerned and finally made an appointment to see a Gastroenterologist. I had started a food diary to track my symptoms when I began having digestive issues and this was very helpful when I went to the doctor and showed him—in detail—exactly what I had been doing.
Baby Steps for Better Digestion
Low and behold, the doctor told me that what I thought was a healthy plan to increase my nutrients and ease stomach issues post-holiday indulgences, was exactly what caused a worsening of my digestive distress. The moral of the story is you can’t and shouldn’t try to fix one dietary extreme by swinging to the opposite extreme. I was putting too much stress on my digestive system, which was trying to recover from hard to digest fatty foods, by loading up on hard to digest raw and bulky vegetables. So, it is true, you can have too much of a “healthy” thing.
A More Soothing Approach
Learning my lesson and hoping to benefit others like me: I’ve developed a different plan for a better way to soothe a rumbling tummy with delicious nutritious food that won’t do more harm than good. So welcome to a month of recipes designed to be easy to digest, while still delicious and satisfying. So, whether you have GERD, IBS and a mild sliding hiatal hernia like me (I know, I’m messed up) or you are just feeling a little queasy due to all the pie and egg nog, these recipes may be for you. I hope you find the relief that I found after adopting a more gentle and consistent approach to my nutrition, because apparently you can eat too many vegetables. Who knew!?!
Check out all of my "Tummy Soothing Recipe Videos on YouTube" and find the full recipes on the Recipe Index!
Disclaimer: This post is not in any way, shape or form, medical advice. There are many serious health conditions that could cause symptoms similar to GERD, IBS and a Hiatal Hernia. These conditions can range from a heart attack to pancreatic cancer to many things in between—all of which may be life threatening. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms I describe in my post, do not write them off as simple digestive issues. Even if you have a history of digestive issues, but are experiencing new or worsening symptoms: see your physician and get evaluated as soon as possible!