No I'm not talking "babies" here, I'm talking about that terrible bloated belly you get after a meal that is equal to looking 6 months pregnant. Ya, it's a thing. Does this ever happen to you? This used to happen to me ALL THE TIME before I studied nutrition and learned how to feed by body. My food babies were so entertaining that I would take photos of them!
The idea for this article came from one of my favourite blogs: You can learn all about it here.
Here are my tips for avoiding a food baby:
1. Don’t wait until you’re starving to eat.
Why? You’ll likely overeat and this will stretch your stomach and give you an automatic food baby. When you wait too long your appetite hormones go into overdrive making you hangry. Unless you practise intermittent fasting and plan on going past the point of hunger, starving yourself is a terrible idea. Also, for me personally, if I go too long without eating I almost always get pain and a lot of gas and bloating when I finally eat because I have an excess of acids and enzymes in my stomach.
2. Drink water and limit alcoholic drinks to no more than two.
You’re probably not too pleased I suggested you stick to no more than two drinks per night, but trust me on this one. Alcohol is an appetite stimulant. This means not only do you end up overeating but you’re not as mindful with your food choices when you’re getting a little tipsy. It’s easy to binge on that spinach mayo dip with pumperknickel bread or fried spring rolls when you’ve got a buzz happening. Hello food baby for at least 2 days! Getting hungover is terrible for your metabolic rate anyhow so limit yourself and you’ll be thanking me come New Years Day!
You know what I do? I drink a large glass of water between any alcoholic drink.
3. If you’ve got food sensitivities, then avoid them!
Sorry if this is a painfully obvious one, but I can’t tell you the number of clients that say to me “Oh it’s the holidays, I just wanted a treat”. Here’s the thing, if you’ve got an allergy or a food sensitivity there is only one solution: AVOIDANCE. There’s no morning-after pill for a food baby. It can last all day if you’ve overdone it! Look I get it, during the holidays you’re likely eating out more and eating at family and friend’s homes where you’re not in control of what you’re eating. If that’s the case then simply bring something you can eat with you. The key is to plan ahead.
If I’m going to a restaurant, I always check the menu online ahead of time so I can decide what I want to eat before I even get there. If I’m going to someone’s house I bring something with me if I think there will be nothing I can eat.
4. Drink lemon and water before a meal.
The simplest of all simple food rules I have. Lemon and water before a meal helps to stimulate good digestion and stop that food baby in it’s tracks. I have been singing the praises of this simple daily habit for years. You can learn all about it here.
5. Drink Peppermint Tea or my Detox Tea (coming soon on the blog) after a meal.
Peppermint helps to stimulate digestion and my Joyous tea is made with some bitter ingredients that stimulate good digestion and joyous poops.
6. Make sure your meal contains protein and good fat.
These two macronutrients are your best birth control to a food baby! Stuff yourself full of refined carbs and sugars and you've provided a feast for the yeast and bad bacteria. They will multiple and have a little orgy in your belly. This translates into a mega food belly!!
Need some ideas? Check out the 6 Natural Ways to Beat the Bloat or any of these articles on improving your digestion.
I truly hope my tips help you avoid a food baby!
Wishing you a joyous bloat-free holiday season,
Joy
I want to get tested to know what I'm allergy/sensitive to and live in the GTA. What food sensitivity test do you recommend? Thanks!
ReplyHi Heather! Here's the one that I do. You can read all about it: https://www.joyoushealth.com/24168-product-food-sensitivity-testing-kit and here's a great post you can read too: https://www.joyoushealth.com/27175-blog-how-to-navigate-the-holidays-with-food-sensitivities