Looking after your gut at Christmas!
We absolutely love Christmas time… sharing quality time with family and friends, indulging in delicious food, and of course plenty of partying, but with all the fun festivities can bring a lack of sleep, overeating, and feeling stressed, putting your gut health into crisis. But fear not, we have some great tips to ensure your gut health and overall wellbeing doesn’t get put into a spin during the hustle and bustle of the festive season!
- Fibre, glorious fibre! Indulging in amazing food is the epicentre of a wonderful Christmas, but too much indulging can lead to constipation, bloating, inflammation and diarrhoea. To ensure things are running smoothly, make sure you’re including lots of variety and fibre in your diet as much as you can, which is actually easier than you think… Christmas plate staples like brussel sprouts are a great source of fibre and contain beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium, as well as skin-on potatoes, broccoli, and carrots.
- As well as fibre, probiotics and prebiotics are also stars of the show when it comes to keeping your gut health in check. Swap your yogurt and toast for kefir and sourdough, and try to include fermented foods like miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Our bone broth is also simmered with probiotic-rich Apple Cider Vinegar! Prebiotic foods include carrots, onions, jerusalem artichokes, brussel sprouts, and potatoes. Easy-peasy when it comes to Christmas dinner!
- Say no to stress… Christmas time can lead to high levels of stress, and what we all seem to forget amidst looking after everyone else is to look after ourselves. Stress can have a devastating impact on our gut microbiome, reducing the absorption of nutrients from food and slowing down the metabolism, causing bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, and feelings of nausea. Take time out to breathe and relax, and drink bone broth regularly to soothe your gut and to find calm, as it contains glycine which is a neurotransmitter.
- Drinking alcohol excessively, feeling burnt out and overindulging are all things that can lead to high levels of inflammation at Christmas. Bone broth is full of anti-inflammatory amino acids like arginine and glutamine, helping to boost your immunity and keep inflammation at bay.
- Bone broth is not only great for fighting inflammation and reducing stress, it’s also full of immune-boosting properties, natural collagen, and healthy fats. A great way to make sure you’re including bone broth in your diet this festive season is swapping it with your morning coffee, adding it to rich gravies, and making delicious Christmas recipes like this Golden Champagne Turkey.
Remember that this time of year is for having fun and treating yourself! Doing things in moderation and following these gut-loving steps will ensure your microbiome is in tip-top shape this festive season. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
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