Holiday Digestion: Tips to Enjoy the Season Without Discomfort

The holiday season brings with it festive gatherings, nostalgic recipes, and quality time with loved ones. It's a time to enjoy, indulge, and celebrate the traditions that make this time of year so special.

But if you’re someone who deals with digestive discomfort, the abundance of rich, heavy foods can make the season feel more overwhelming than joyful. Instead of looking forward to your favorite dishes, you may find yourself worrying about how your body will react.

At Arthur Andrew Medical, we believe that no one should have to choose between feeling their best and enjoying the holiday season. With the right support for your digestive health, you can approach each celebration with confidence, ready to enjoy every bite and every moment.

Know Your Trigger Foods

As you plan your standout holiday look, it’s also a great time to start planning for your digestive wellness. Begin identifying foods that may trigger discomfort by keeping a simple log. A quick note in your phone detailing what you ate and how you felt afterward can go a long way. Reviewing these notes regularly can help you spot patterns and make informed choices, so you can arrive at Thanksgiving dinner feeling confident and in control.

Pro Tip: Health is largely about identifying and combatting inflammation. Reducing inflammation in the body allows it to operate optimally, lessening the likelihood of pain, upset bowels, fatigue, disease, and many other health ailments. Notating foods, activities, and behaviors that lead to inflammation is the first step toward healing.

Inflammatory foods are the ones that leave you feeling “blah” minutes, hours, or even days after you consume them. This could manifest as an upset stomach, an urgent need to rush to the bathroom, bloating, fatigue, constipation, or abdominal cramps.

Unlike food allergies, which elicit a full-on immune response, often in the form of a rash, swelling, and nasal congestion, food sensitivities can be discovered by practicing an elimination diet and are often the sign of another problem, such as leaky gut, stress, infection, gut imbalance, and/or inflammation (source).

Similarly, food intolerance symptoms show up relatively quickly after consumption but may be the result of insufficient enzymes to digest a particular type of food, as is the case with lactose intolerance (source).

The 9 most common food allergens are:
1. Milk
2. Eggs
3. Fish
4. Shellfish
5. Tree nuts
6. Peanuts
7. Wheat
8. Soybeans
9. Sesame

Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration

But what if the usual food allergens aren’t actually the issue for you? It’s important to pay attention to how your body reacts, even to “healthy” foods that just don’t sit right.

Maybe it’s the lycopene in tomatoes, or perhaps the histamines in eggs, spinach, or avocados that are triggering inflammation.

Dig a little deeper to identify unexpected foods that may be impacting your digestion:

• Do beans leave you uncomfortable every time you grab a bite from your favorite food truck?
• Do fatty foods make you feel sluggish or irritable?
• Does sugar leave your stomach feeling unsettled or disrupt your energy levels?
• Do you steer clear of certain vegetables because they leave you feeling bloated or uncomfortable?
• Do almonds make you feel bloated, cranky, or just off?

Whatever your personal trigger may be, notice it, track it, and do your best to avoid it.

Or…enjoy it with the right digestive support.

Why Digestive Enzymes Matter and How They Help

Beyond true food allergies and even some sensitivities, digestive issues may simply be caused by insufficient digestive enzymes. These essential workhorses in the digestive system are responsible for breaking down food so that vital nutrients can be efficiently extracted and distributed throughout the body to support its many systems.

When food isn’t fully digested, that’s when symptoms like bloating, gas, cramps, and nausea can start to appear.

It’s important to note that different types of enzymes break down different types of nutrients, such as proteins, fats, fiber, and carbohydrates.

Once you’ve identified any potential trigger foods that might make an appearance at your holiday feast, consider incorporating supplements that help support digestion, so you can celebrate without discomfort or guilt.

To make things easier, here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right enzymes based on your specific digestive needs.

Difficulty digesting…

Protein (beef, bison, pea, egg, whey)
Look for the enzyme(s) Protease
Product Recommendation: Aminolase
Benefits: Efficiently breaks down meat, dairy, and plant proteins into usable amino acids

Difficulty digesting…

Fats (olive oil, avocados, butter, nuts)
Look for the enzyme(s) Lipase
Product Recommendation: Lipagest
Benefits: Breaks fat down into fatty acids that the body can use for energy; reduces bloating and gas

Difficulty digesting…

High fiber foods (fruits/vegetables, beans/lentils)
Look for the enzyme(s) Cellulase, amylase, alpha-galactosidase
Product Recommendation: FODMAP DPE
Benefits: Helps break down plant fiber and certain carbohydrates so they don’t ferment in the gut

Difficulty digesting…

Dairy, gluten, sugar, and artificial ingredients
Look for the enzyme(s) Lactase, peptidase, xylanase
Product Recommendation: Devigest
Benefits: Full-spectrum digestive blend for food additives, casein, gluten, lactose, and more

Let’s go a bit more in-depth with each of these supplements.

All-purpose Digestion: Devigest

Devigest offers full-spectrum digestive support, delivering a powerful blend of enzymes that target every major nutrient group including protein, fiber, carbohydrates, sugars, fats, and even artificial ingredients.

By helping to fully break down the foods we eat, from the lactose in dairy to the gluten in bread, Devigest ensures that no undigested remnants are left behind to ferment in the GI tract, which can often lead to discomfort.

This complete assimilation of nutrients means less gas, bloating, and abdominal discomfort.

Devigest Key Ingredients
• Protease to digest protein
• Cellulase to digest plant fiber
• Amylase and glucoamylase to digest carbs
• Lactase to digest lactose
• Dipeptidyl peptidase to digest gluten
• Lipase to digest fats
• Alpha galactosidase to digest sugar
• Xylanase to digest processed foods and artificial ingredients

Holiday Help

When it comes to your holiday meals, Devigest can ease the digestion of all types of dishes: roast vegetables, turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, gravy, dinner rolls, and even Jello topped with marshmallows!

Here’s a holiday-friendly food list, supported by the enzyme blend in Devigest:

• Sweet potatoes
• Roasted vegetables
• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes / roasted potatoes
• Stuffing
• Cranberry sauce
• Green bean casserole
• Corn
• Gravy
• Pumpkin pie
• Rolls
• Mac and cheese
• Ham
• Christmas cookies, even those that contain artificial ingredients
• Fudge
• Fruitcake

FODMAP Digestion: FODMAP DPE

FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that often show up as hidden ingredients in everyday foods. They may not belong to a single food group, but when consumed in large amounts, they can significantly disrupt digestion.

Common culprits are high-fiber foods, garlic, onions, bananas, apples, cherries, almond milk, and vegetables, such as lettuce, kale, cauliflower, and asparagus.

Incomplete digestion of these carbohydrates, or undigested food particles left behind can ferment in the gut, producing gas that leads to bloating, belching, flatulence, and abdominal discomfort.

FODMAP DPE combines a targeted blend of enzymes designed to help fully break down this unique group of short-chain carbohydrates. The result? A happier gut and more sustained energy long after Thanksgiving dinner, whether you're enjoying a vegetarian entrée or going back for seconds on the cranberry sauce.

Holiday Help

FODMAP DPE can assist with the complete digestion of these FODMAP-containing holiday meals:

• Roasted vegetables
• Sweet potatoes
• Cranberry sauce
• Green bean casserole
• Corn
• Pumpkin pie
• Fruitcake

Fat Digestion: Lipagest

Given the current surge of weight-loss drugs on the market, it’s easy to confuse “fat digestion” with “fat loss” but there’s much more nuance to this story.

When fats aren’t properly digested, two things can happen:

1. Digestive discomfort
2. Low energy

Digestive Discomfort

Digestive discomfort such as bloating and gas can occur even after eating “healthy” fats if your body doesn’t produce enough enzymes to properly break them down. Unfortunately, the impact goes beyond short-term discomfort. Over time, insufficient fat digestion can place added stress on vital organs like the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, potentially affecting their long-term function.

Lipagest combines three forms of the enzyme lipase to break down fats so that the body can absorb them without unnecessary burden on other organs or the digestive system.

Pro Tip: If you’ve been following a keto or high-protein/high fat/low-carb diet and feel like you have no energy, it could be because your body is not efficiently digesting and utilizing the healthy fats you’re consuming. Fat assimilation is extremely important, as it’s not only a crucial energy source, but also a carrier for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Fat as Energy

When properly broken down, fats play a vital role as a primary energy source for the body. In addition to this essential function, certain vitamins, specifically vitamins A, D, E, and K, are fat-soluble, meaning they require dietary fat for proper absorption.

Without adequate fat digestion and storage, the body may experience vitamin deficiencies, low energy, hormonal imbalances, and even impaired vision. It’s not enough to simply consume the “right” fats, they must be fully digested and absorbed to support a truly balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Holiday Help

The intentional blend of three lipases in Lipagest is designed to help you enjoy holiday meals without guilt or discomfort, plus, you may even notice an extra boost of energy along the way.

• Green bean casserole
• Gravy
• Pumpkin pie
• Mac and cheese
• Ham
• Fudge

Protein Digestion: Aminolase

Your protein intake is only as effective as your body’s ability to digest it. Protein digestion can be compromised for a variety of reasons including the consumption of hard-to-digest foods, a natural decline in digestive enzymes and stomach acid with age, and the overall health of your gut.

Furthermore, certain foods, such as “legumes, cereals, potatoes and tomatoes contain inhibitors that reduce protein digestibility by blocking trypsin, pepsin and other gut proteases” (source).

When protein is consumed, the body begins breaking it down into usable amino acids, which supply cells and organs with necessary nutrients. This bioavailable form (amino acids) is essential for optimal absorption to support muscle growth, synthesis, and recovery.

Perhaps the most important benefit of complete protein assimilation is its positive impact on the digestive system. When protein is fully broken down, it’s less likely to linger in the GI tract and feed unwanted bacteria in the large intestine. Undigested protein can lead to bacterial overgrowth and digestive discomfort, and those aren’t the kind of leftovers anyone wants.

As you can imagine, this excess bacterial activity may leave you feeling bloated, gassy, and nauseous.

Aminolase contains a special protease that supports full digestion of the proteins found in whey, casein (milk), soy, pea, hemp, gluten, and animal sources.

Holiday Help

Therefore, Aminolase may be a great supplement to have on hand for these common holiday dishes:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes (dairy)
• Gravy
• Mac and cheese (dairy)
• Ham

The Oopsie Fixes

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, digestion doesn’t go as planned, and our stomach lets us know it. When that happens, here’s what you can turn to for relief.
1. A full-spectrum binder incorporates multiple ingredients, such as bentonite clay and activated charcoal, that work to remove toxins from the body and restore digestive balance.
2. Activated charcoal is a single-ingredient supplement that is adsorbent, meaning it removes toxins from the body as they attach to it.
3. A good probiotic can help to restore gut balance after eating inflammatory foods or an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. Start with a small dose if you’re not used to taking probiotics and increase as tolerated.

Additional Tips for Holiday Meals without Guilt

1. Don’t fast before a big holiday meal if that’s out of the norm for you. “Making room” for extra calories doesn’t work, and showing up to a holiday feast with an imbalanced blood sugar level a la carte a ferocious appetite can lead to overeating (which stresses digestion) or a sluggish metabolism.
2. Don’t fast after a large holiday meal if it deviates from your normal eating/fasting routine. This can launch your body into a starvation/binge cycle, potentially affecting your metabolism, mood, and blood sugar levels.
3. Stay hydrated! Your body requires lots of fluids to digest food, so keep that water goblet nearby. Water also flushes toxins out of the body and fuels cells. Drinking enough water leading up to the meal maintains balance and helps to prevent overeating by not mistaking thirst for hunger.
4. Eat fiber first. There’s a reason appetizers like salads and aperitifs are served before the main meal; they are largely comprised of vegetables. As explained by the Glucose Goddess, putting fiber in your stomach first creates a “protective ‘mesh’ in your digestive tract, slowing down the absorption of glucose from carbs” (source).
5. Start small and think twice about seconds. According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, it takes about 20 minutes for the body to realize it’s full (source). Overeating can lead to many issues, ranging from extreme discomfort to obesity and cancer, so while you’re waiting for your stomach to signal to your brain that it’s all good, why not go for a walk?
6. Go for a walk before you crash into the couch. Studies have shown that simple muscle movements, such as a 10-minute walk, or say 30 air squats, within 90 minutes of a meal can lower glucose (blood sugar) spikes, supporting your energy and satiation (source).
7. Sharing is caring! Were you served a slice of pie that’s a little too big? Share with a loved one or take half home for a decadent dessert on repeat. Instead of overindulging today, take home leftovers for a cook-free tomorrow!

Pro Tip: Moving after a big meal kicks your metabolism into gear, and even exercise from a moderate-to-brisk walk can help to lower the insulin response, minimizing the onset of a glucose spike caused by indulging in too many carbs or sweets.

In Summary

The holidays are a time to connect with loved ones and enjoy delicious foods you might not indulge in every day. But the experience shouldn’t come with digestive anxiety. Follow our tips for happy holiday feasting and take time to plan by identifying your personal list of inflammatory foods. Bring along targeted supplements to support the digestion of key food groups, whether that’s protein, fat, carbohydrates, or a little bit of everything.

With thoughtful preparation and the right digestive support, you can fully enjoy the season, free from discomfort and full of gratitude.

References

Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Food allergies. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies#:~:text=The%20final%20guidance%20outlines%20the%20approach%20the,fish%2C%20Crustacean%20shellfish%2C%20tree%20nuts%2C%20peanuts%2C%20wheat

Friedman, M., & Brandon, D. L. (2001). Nutritional and health benefits of soy proteins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49(3), 1069–1086. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4927412/#:~:text=Some%20plant%20foods%20contain%20anti,Friedman%20and%20Brandon%2C%202001

Glucose Goddess. (n.d.-a). Science episode: Move after eating. https://www.glucosegoddess.com/pages/science-episode-move-after-eating?srsltid=AfmBOoolKCKTEtGDFGmxrsq1MqM9BHMPSZgLpS-Ew0_nHH7TnpCRwuHL

Glucose Goddess. (n.d.-b). Science episode: Veggie starters. https://www.glucosegoddess.com/pages/science-episode-veggie-starters#:~:text=Why%20eating%20Veggies%20First%20works,the%20bottom%20of%20this%20page

Henry Ford Health. (2020, November). Is it a food allergy, food sensitivity, food intolerance or celiac disease? https://www.henryford.com/blog/2020/11/is-it-a-food-allergy-food-sensitivity-food-intolerance-or-celiac-disease#:~:text=What%20it%20is%3A%20A%20food,Barish

MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2023). What happens when you overeat? https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-happens-when-you-overeat.h00-159775656.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20takes%20about%2020%20minutes,weight%20increases%20your%20cancer%20risk

AAM Links

https://arthurandrew.com/products/aminolase

https://arthurandrew.com/products/fodmap

https://arthurandrew.com/products/lipagest