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It is not for eating a
shortbread
, but because these have been in the supermarket, and in our pantries, since September.
By December, they have become a regular part of the
diet
in a country that does not understand a social gathering or a celebration if it is not linked to eating and drinking as if there were no tomorrow.
"It's something cultural. The problem is that we not only eat excessively on specific days, such as the 24th or 25th, but we also start consuming
Christmas sweets
very soon. Also, during these dates we have more social and work commitments, so we don't It is not an isolated moment, but rather a month in which we commit
excesses almost daily,"
says Dr.
Bertina Ferrández,
specialist in Nutrition and Dietetics and Family Medicine.
Statistics
show
that during this Christmas we will gain between 2 and 4 kilos and that almost 22% of Spaniards will not worry excessively about their health and will not follow a healthy diet, according to the report
'Cigna Well-Being 360'
Prepared by the health insurance company Cigna.
"Sometimes we take for granted that
Christmas
is a period in which we will gain weight, and normalizing that does us no favors," says Bertina Ferrández, also a doctor from the Top Doctors platform, "enjoying social gatherings or our period of rest should not lead us to worsen our
health
or vary our weight".
Because, in addition to loading us with those extra kilos that will insistently haunt us until summer, our
digestive system
will suffer the consequences.
According to the data handled by DosFarma, 7 out of 10 Spaniards will suffer some gastrointestinal
problem
during the Christmas celebrations.
"At Christmas we tend to eat fatty foods, with more simple
sugars
and to exceed the consumption of alcoholic beverages. All this favors the appearance of diarrhea,
constipation
, gastritis, ulcers,
indigestion
or heartburn. And weight gain can worsen other existing problems, such as
high blood pressure
, hypercholesterolemia or diabetes," explains
Ferrandez
.
Without going too far, what
copious meals
these days do portend is indigestion,
bloating
, heartburn, reflux and other digestion problems.
"To avoid them, you don't have to do without food, but eat with your head. For example, if you feel full or satiated, there is no need to continue eating. In addition, you have to incorporate
foods
such as whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables, which they will help the body
purify itself
", assures María Sánchez, e-Health Medical Manager of Cigna Spain.
It is also important to
avoid
, or at least reduce, alcohol intake, especially for those who are feeling worse off, "because it can lead to worsening mental health," he adds.
Sanchez
.
And not even the much-lauded
glass
of wine a day, due to its supposed
polyphenols and
antioxidant
effects
, is spared from the sieve.
"There are no positive effects on our health derived from
alcohol
intake, " says Dr.
Bertina Ferrández emphatically,
"it will always worsen the damage that we are causing to the digestive system and it will weaken our
immune system
and central nervous system It can even cause heart rhythm irregularities."
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What are the symptoms of empacho?
What are the
foods
we should
avoid
this Christmas?, we asked the doctor.
"Those that we also avoid in our daily diet: dishes with a large amount of fat, sugar or alcohol," she replies.
They are also the ones that cause the most common
digestive problems
at Christmas, indigestion, "whose symptoms include stomach
pain
, heartburn, gas,
constipation
, diarrhea,
a swollen belly
, lack of appetite and even vomiting," adds Amanda Dutruc, a pharmacist. of
DosFarma
and that they respond to the fact that "we eat more than what our
stomach
can process under normal conditions".
How to prevent an empacho in 9 keys
The best thing to solve an
indigestion
is not to let it happen, "to be aware of our
appetite
and our state of satiety and know how to stop when we notice that we are no longer hungry," says
Bertina Ferrández.
But even when this digestive problem is already a fact, there are certain "remedies" that help us overcome it.
"
Eating slowly
and enjoying the food, leaving the fork on the table between bites and accompanying meals with water if we are thirsty and not exclusively alcoholic beverages", advances the
doctor
, who urges not to neglect
physical exercise
during the period Christmas and "going for a walk every day to improve our digestions".
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And although the symptoms of indigestion "are
usually mild,"
explains
Amanda Dutruc,
the truth is that "they are very annoying."
To avoid them, there are some keys and certain
home remedies
, both natural and
pharmacological
, that the pharmacist details.
Chew well.
One of the main reasons why digestive discomfort appears is from eating too fast.
Good digestion starts in the mouth.
Saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which is in charge of starting the breakdown of what we eat;
If we don't chew long enough, the stomach will have to work harder to do its job, which means that it will produce more acid, increasing the risk of heartburn and heartburn.
Eating slowly,
being aware of chewing, we realize what we are eating and how much.
Christmas is a time of excesses, to avoid spending the best thing is to chew without haste and be in a quiet environment.
Reduce the amount of food on the plate.
It is preferable to repeat to fill the plate and finish it;
we have to think about everything that lies ahead and not eat with our eyes.
Avoid talking while eating.
It is difficult advice to follow at these parties, since conversation is an indivisible part of a celebration.
However, it is important to avoid swallowing more air than necessary with each bite.
For the same reason, smoking during meals should also be avoided.
Don't dine too late.
As night approaches, the hormones that are responsible for digesting sugars and carbohydrates decrease.
This implies that if we have a large dinner very late, the body will have more difficulties to digest it, which can lead to gas or indigestion.
Ideally, leave between an hour and a half or two and a half hours between dinner and bedtime.
Avoid certain foods.
Some foods can cause heartburn, such as spicy foods, onions, citrus fruits, tomatoes, alcohol, caffeinated or fizzy drinks, or fried or high-fat foods.
It does not mean that they should not be taken, but it does have to be done in moderation.
Likewise, to avoid flatulence it is advisable not to abuse those same foods.
Do not eat very hot food.
Since they can irritate the lining of the stomach, it is better to wait a bit for them to cool down.
Wear loose clothing.
Tight clothing and tight belts put pressure on the abdominal area and can make stomach problems worse.
Walk a little after meals.
It is not necessary that we go to the gym after eating, a good way to burn calories and help digestion is to take a short walk after meals.
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Natural remedies against indigestion
A natural and delicious way to alleviate the discomfort of a heavy meal is with a digestive infusion.
Some of the most effective are
chamomile, licorice, ginger, mint, anise or fennel
.
Similarly,
baking soda with lemon
before meals facilitates digestion and prevents gas and heartburn.
It is also very useful to eat foods that contain
probiotics
, microorganisms that strengthen the immune system, restore the intestinal flora and help the digestive system, such as yogurt with bifidus.
Over-the-counter medications that relieve symptoms of indigestion
If the
discomfort
is very uncomfortable, a quick and easy option is to
relieve
it with the help of some over-the-counter medications that neutralize stomach acid or create a protective barrier to prevent its passage into the esophagus.
"
Antacids
if you have heartburn,
antispasmodics
if your belly hurts,
simethicone
if you have gas, and
loperamide
or activated charcoal if you have diarrhea," they detail from the Ecoceutics pharmacy.
"Another option is
fruit salts,
a remedy known to all to relieve stomach problems, and food supplements with
probiotics,"
says pharmacist
Amanda Dutruc,
who warns against the established custom of using stomach protectors such as
omeprazole.
"We think that it will help us with digestion or prevent stomach pain, but its use must be under medical prescription since it is used against ulcers caused by gastric reflux or heartburn. If we suffer from any of the symptoms described above it is best to ask our
doctor
or
pharmacist
to recommend the best we can take in each case", he concludes.
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