Post-Holiday Discomfort

CEBU, Philippines – In the Philippines, a special occasion is almost always characterized by feasts. People gather together over food, lavish food. In some rural communities, it is a complement to the ones preparing the feast is the guest overeats - well, that means the food is good.

The food indulgence during the holidays has its aftereffects. The series of feasts during December brought too much to endure for people's stomachs. The whole time, people tend to overeat. The result is often bloated, roiling stomachs.

That's as far as is popularly understood of the aftermath of the holidays. The heartburn, upset stomach, and diarrhea or constipation after the nightlong partying is still not fully understood matter. Why are digestive problems so common after a celebratory feast?

R. Morgan Griffin, in an article at the website www.webmd.com, explains how the holidays make people sick and offers tips for avoiding tummy trouble:

Large portions. It's simple: The more food you cram into your stomach, the more pressure on your esophageal sphincter, the muscle that keeps digested food down where it belongs. When the pressure is great enough, food and acid will back up, causing heartburn. Too much food can also slow down your whole digestive system, leading to stomachaches and constipation.

Rich foods. Holiday foods are generally high in sugar and fat. Both cause weight gain and added for some time, that excess weight can trigger upset stomach. Fat is an immediate problem, since it slows down the digestion and can trigger reflux (as so does chocolate, coffee, alcohol, mints, and acidic foods).

Lack of fiber. Think of your favorite holiday food. It probably isn't bran flakes. That's part of the problem - fiber tends to be missing from the holiday dinner table. "Low-fiber holiday foods can really stop you up and lead to constipation," Griffin qoutes John Clarke, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Holiday stress. Stress - triggered by all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, travel, and family conflict during the holidays - can cause upset stomach and heartburn. On top of that, many people cope with stress by overeating and drinking too much.

The information shared by Griffin definitely provides enlightenment on the issue of discomforts after the holidays. But enlightenment alone will not help. One has to use the added understanding he has in order to lessen - if not completely avoid - his susceptibility to post-holiday distress.