Happy Holidays! If you’ve been taking time to enjoy the Holiday season then you’ve probably spent valuable downtime with loved ones, and indulged in one or many holiday dinners. Although balancing work with relaxation and pleasure is an important part of maintaining a healthy life in Eastern medicine, overindulging can lead to an upset digestive system, bloating, and discomfort.
In this blog post, we will be covering 4 ways you can use Eastern medicine to combat bloating.
Eat Bitter Foods
From the perspective of Eastern medicine, the taste of foods are an indication of how they can affect your body, and your internal energy known as Qi. Furthermore, in Eastern medicine, your Qi has to properly flow to each of your organ systems to ensure that they function properly. Therefore, if you’re experiencing bloating you need to consume foods that can aid your digestive system, which from this perspective, are bitter foods. Incorporating bitter foods such as kale, orange zest, and bittermelon into large meals is a great way to naturally offset the bloating you may experience afterwards as bitter foods help Qi flow into your digestive system.
Drink Hot Beverages
Another way to aid your digestive system and reduce bloating with Eastern medicine is to drink hot beverages. This is because your stomach functions at its best when warm, and cold foods require extra energy to break down and process. In addition, food that isn’t digested properly can cause gas to form in the digestive tract which in turn can result in bloating. Therefore, If you want to make it easier for your body to break down a holiday meal that is sure to make you feel gassy and bloated, drink a hot beverage with it and avoid consuming anything cold.
Massage Your Stomach
Massaging your stomach is an alternative way to make it easier for your digestive system to properly process foods and minimize bloating. Similar to how eating bitter foods can help Qi flow to your digestive system, massaging your stomach can too. Firmly massaging your stomach in a circular, clockwise motion, can help your Qi flow to your stomach and spleen, and help you better digest and reduce bloating.
Take a Walk
The Winter weather may make it cold outside, but taking a walk after a large holiday meal is a great way to reduce bloating. This is because a simple stroll can help your digestive system function more effectively by improving your blood flow, and preventing digestive stagnation.
During Holiday celebrations, it can be easy to overindulge until your sitting down bloated in discomfort. And, if you regularly feel bloated, even after light meals, you may have underlying issues with your diet or digestive health. If you suspect your bloating is a sign of a more serious condition, contact us to book an appointment and learn more on how Eastern medicine can help.
