3 Easy Ways to Outsmart Your Post-Holiday GI Hassles

We’ve all been enjoying all those yummy holiday treats for days! So the last thing we want is to have our merry days marred by an upset stomach. Thankfully, experts say these savvy strategies can prevent digestive ughs, helping you continue to enjoy everything the season has to offer without a hint of holiday GI hassles.

Stretch and sigh.

Taking a 3-minute break before every meal to gently stretch while taking deep, relaxing breaths can cut your risk of indigestion by as much as 65 percent, suggests research in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Explains study co-author Andrea Zaccaro, PhD, gentle stretches combined with slow breathing calm the autonomic nervous system, the branch of nerves that improve digestion and help adapt to diet changes.

Enjoy the seasonal sights.

We love cheery Christmas lights and other outdoor decor. And that’s great news because UCLA researchers say just heading out for a daily 20-minute stroll to admire your neighbor’s decorations gently stimulates intestinal muscle contractions, cutting your risk of constipation by 70 percent.

Feed the ‘good guys.’

It’s easy to cut the risk of bloat and gassiness by as much as 65 percent simply by taking 500 mg. to 1,000 mg. of artichoke leaf extract daily, according to researchers reporting in the journal Phytomedicine. Thanks goes to artichoke’s active ingredient (cynarin), which increases bile and digestive enzyme release by 40 percent, plus triples the growth of healthy, digestion-enhancing probiotic bacteria in your intestines.

Don’t forget these tips to banish holiday GI hassles!

A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.