After all, what better time for tummy trouble than when the whole family and guests are sharing just one bathroom? Or at a corporate holiday party when the representatives from human resources is watching? ‘Tis the season of gurgling stomachs and hurried pleas to be excused from the table.
There is good news
Plexus TriPlex™ is your gut’s new best friend. It’s the safe, healthy way to improve your gut health and feel better overall.*Your digestive tract gets hit by harmful substances every single day—from your food choices to a lack of sufficient exercise, to even the air and environment around you. Without a fiber-rich diet and more exercise, you’re going to end up with those digestive problems nobody wants: bloating, discomfort, and an overall “blah” feeling.
What poor eating habits screw up, they can also set right. Sneaking these foods into your holiday diet can help keep things regular.
Some chicken and collard greens
The high-fiber veggies that show up in snack platters on the buffet table or in your green bean casserole keep things moving along through your digestive tract and, soak up excess water from your colon and intestines—to keep things from moving too quickly. Additional sources of veggie fiber include roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower mashed potatoes—half potatoes and half cauliflower.Enjoy visions of sugar plums
The bowls of dried fruit and nuts you set out for your next party are more than a formality. Dried dates, figs, prunes—especially prunes—apricots, and raisins are high in fiber and contain sorbitol—a natural laxative.Bring some corn for popping
Feel free to snack on that popcorn you’re stringing for garland. Or, to enjoy the popcorn tin your neighbors dropped off.Popcorn is low in calories and a whole grain—known for being effective at alleviating constipation1. In addition, three cups of air-popped popcorn contain three grams of dietary fiber at only 93 calories.
Forget figgy pudding, bring us the probiotics
Our guts are colonized by millions of friendly bacteria—such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum—that keep us regular2. Show your intestines a little love during the holiday season by adding probiotic foods, like yogurt, to your feast.Sneak yogurt into your holiday cannoli recipe by mixing Greek or plain yogurt with ricotta cheese.
Or, substitute the sour cream in your Ambrosia with strawberry yogurt for an added tang.
Yogurt isn’t the only probiotic food out there either. Mix nutty-tasting tempeh (fermented soy beans) into any vegetarian dish that calls for tofu, or start your meal with a bowl of steaming miso soup (miso is a fermented paste made of grains). Or go the full-on savory route by incorporating fermented sauerkraut or kimchi into one of your courses.
Traditional superfoods
Keep your microbes happy. Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions, scallions, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and snow peas are rich in prebiotics which act as nourishment for the friendly bacteria in your intestines3,4,5.Cooked onions are great for your internal flora, as is raw jicama—which makes a great finger food or salad topping. And, berries are prebiotics—look for them to make an appearance in holiday pies or with your yogurt.
No matter what it is you’re eating, all things in moderation help keep your intestines happy. Mix gut-friendly foods with your usual diet and keep drinking lots of water, to send your gut the message that all is well and operations should continue as normal.
References
1 W. J. Dahl and M. L. Stewart (2015). “Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Health Implications of Dietary Fiber.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212267215013866
2 Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Recent developments in intestinal magnesium absorption. 2008 Mar;24(2):230-5. doi: 10.1097/MOG.0b013e3282f37b59. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18301276
3 Jovanovic-Malinovska R, Kuzmanova S, Winkelhausen E. Oligosaccharide profile in fruits and vegetables as sources of prebiotics and functional foods. International Journal of Food Properties. 2014;7: 949-965. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10942912.2012.680221?needAccess=true&journalCode=ljfp20
4 Muir JG, R Rose R, Rosella O, et al. Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009, 57:554–565. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19123815
5 Muir JG, Shepherd SJ, Rosella O, et al. Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Aug 8;55(16):6619-27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17625872
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