Holiday Eating: three helpful tips

Annemarie Colbin — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:29:00 GMT

The holidays are coming, and we’re all looking forward to stuffing ourselves with all the special and delicious dishes that mark the season.
But what to do with the aftermath of bloat and guilt? Here are some thoughts.

To prevent overeating and stomach aches, the best technique is a very simple one: CHEW EVERY BITE 25 TIMES OR MORE. Yes, I know, sounds onerous, but believe me, if you do this you can eat anything you want and not get bloated or stuffed. Chewing initiates the digestion of carbohydrates through the action of the salivary amylase enzyme, and this is an essential first step in good digestion. Chewing also gives notice to the body that food is coming down, so the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, etc., all get ready, and bloating is avoided. Then, as sufficient notice is received, the appestat signals that enough food has come in, and the message to your brain is that you can stop eating now – so you will not tend to overeat.
If you have eaten too much rich and fatty food, get some lemon – hot water with lemon is my favourite after-dinner drink, and you can also try seltzer with lemon or peppermint tea. That helps cut the grease, and according to Chinese medicine the sour taste stimulates the liver.
Finally, two words about guilt: Forget it. It’s a useless emotion around eating. Either enjoy the food you’re eating to the fullest, or don’t eat it. And if you’ve eaten something you think is no good for you, hold off with the guilt. Instead, pay careful attention to the results of your gastronomic adventures – see how you feel, act, sleep, if you get pimples or hives, and how your stomach reacts. In other words, whatever you eat, consider it RESEARCH! That is how you get to be an expert on the effects of food on your own health.

Have a wonderful 2007 holiday with your friends and family!

Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.

ANNEMARIE COLBIN, Ph.D., CHES, is an award-winning leader in the field of natural health She founded Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts (TM) in New York City in 1977, and is adjunct professor of nutrition at the city’s Empire State College. She is the author of four books, including The Book of Whole Meals (Autumn Press, 1979; Ballantine Books, 1983), The Natural Gourmet (Ballantine Books, 1989, 1991), and Food and Healing (Ballantine Books, 1986, 1996). Her website is: www.foodandhealing.com

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Holiday Eating: three helpful tips