6 Ways To Support Gut Health This Christmas

With Christmas right around the corner, many of us are looking forward to some much needed rest, relaxation and even a little indulgence! What this can mean is, more often than not, our attention to gut health can be put on the back burner.

That’s where we come in. To ensure your gut bacteria stays nice and healthy over this festive season, there are a few simple habits you can adopt! Whether it’s by using the time to get more sleep (which you may be planning to do already), or incorporating probiotics into your festive routine - there’s plenty of ways to look after your gut.

In this blog post, we’ve listed 6 ways you can support your gut health this Christmas - take a look!

Why Is Gut Health Important?

Let’s start with the basics - why is gut health important over Christmas?

Over the festive season, it’s very easy for our gut health to jump off the rails. Though the sweet treats, large portions, and flowing cocktails can be a treat for us - they aren’t doing our gut any favours.

Indulging with food and drinks can cause the microbiome to become unbalanced - which can lead to bloating and other gastrointestinal discomforts.

Don’t get us wrong - Christmas is a great chance for you to get stuck into these delicacies guilt-free. After all, this season is a time to come together and celebrate. Though if you’re looking for ways to keep your gut health on track over the holidays, try indulging in moderation instead.

6 Ways To Support Gut Health This Christmas

Are you looking for ways to keep your gut health on track this Christmas? Below, we’ve listed 6 ways you can support your gut over the festive season.

1. Relax

One thing we always love about Christmas is that it gives us the chance to take some time off work and relax with family - which can be good for our gut bacteria.

Relaxing can be a great way to keep your gut moving - especially since stress and anxiety can slow the digestive process and cause bloating and constipation. Not to mention, this state can also sway the microbiome and trigger inflammation.

If you’ve been feeling stressed or anxious lately, use the festive season to take some time off work, unwind, and spend time with family. 

2. Get Some Sleep

With late-night family feasts and early rises, it's easy for our sleep schedule to get thrown out of whack. Though for the sake of your gut health, it’s well worth catching some extra hours of sleep.

When we don’t get enough sleep, we’re much more susceptible to stress and anxiety - which can cause a negative shift in good gut bacteria.

Keep your gut in tip-top shape by getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. If you know you have to be up early to unwrap gifts, try going to bed a little earlier.

3. Eat Slower

We know how exciting those delicious festive foods can be - ranging from tasty sweets to succulent meats. Though once Christmas dinner does finally roll around, try eating your food a little slower.

Chewing your food a little longer will make the digestive process and nutrient absorption much easier for your gut. Plus, it’ll also limit discomfort after the meal. 

4. Load-Up On Vegetables

One of the best things you can do at Christmas dinner is to load your plate up with plenty of vegetables. They provide an assortment of nutrients and will fill you up, so you’ll indulge less in fatty meats and sweets.

Though the benefits don’t stop there - vegetables also have a positive influence on your gut bacteria. The good bacteria in your gut will digest some of the fibre in your vegetables, which helps them to flourish and grow. 

5. Sharing Is Caring

Each Christmas, we tend to find a few boxes of chocolate hiding under the tree. Though, if you have a bad habit of binge eating these sweets (you are definitely not alone!), it might be worth sharing them around after dinner.

These processed sugars can decrease the number of good bacteria in the gut - leading to an imbalance and causing inflammation.

It’s okay to enjoy a few sweets on Christmas - after all, it’s a time to celebrate! Though, to stop yourself from going overboard, consider sharing your sweets around.

6. Grab A Daily Probiotic Drink

If you need an extra hand rebalancing and supporting your gut bacteria this festive season, try drinking a probiotic drink daily.

These fruity, chilled beverages aren’t only easy on the taste buds, but they are also bottled with the recommended daily intake of probiotics - which can help to nourish and rebalance your microbiome over Christmas.

If you’re looking for a premium Australian probiotic drink to get your gut through Christmas, we’d suggest checking out our PERKii range.

PERKii targeted release probiotics are 10,000 times stronger than your standard probiotics because of our signature micro-shield technology. This protects the probiotic as it navigates through the harsh stomach acid and safely releases them in the intestine to flourish.

Head to the online store now to browse the PERKii range!