What’s Behind the Festive Bloat?
1. More Salty, Processed and Rich Foods
Christmas platters are delicious—but they’re also loaded with salt, refined carbs, seed oils and dairy-heavy dishes. These ingredients pull water into your gut and tissues, slow digestion, raise histamine and create that swollen, inflamed feeling.
2. The Sugar Rollercoaster
Treats, chocolates and festive desserts spike your blood sugar quickly. Your body responds with insulin surges, which not only lead to energy crashes but also fluid retention, cravings, and digestive sluggishness.
3. Alcohol = Inflammation + Dehydration
Alcohol is a gut irritant, disrupts the microbiome, slows stomach emptying, and dehydrates you—all of which worsen bloating. Even "just a few drinks" can throw off your normal digestive rhythm.
4. Stress + Rushing = Poor Digestion
During December, your nervous system rarely gets a break.
You’re moving fast, juggling kids, work deadlines, social events, and emotional load. When you're in stress mode (sympathetic dominance), your gut literally stops digesting efficiently because it perceives a threat.
Less enzyme production. Less stomach acid. Slower motility.
All roads lead to… bloating.
5. Hormonal Fluctuations
Many women don’t realise how much December stress alters hormones—especially cortisol and progesterone. When these shift, you may retain more fluid, become more sensitive to foods, experience constipation, and feel more inflamed to mention moods can go out the window.
Combine that with perimenopause or a sluggish thyroid, and bloating becomes almost guaranteed.
What You Can Do Today to Reduce Bloating
1. Start Your Morning with a Gut Reset
Choose one:
Warm lemon water with a pinch of sea salt
Ginger + peppermint tea
A protein-rich breakfast with minimal sugar
This wakes up your stomach acid, supports liver function, and steadies blood sugar.
2. Add a Walk After Meals
A 10–15 minute walk after eating dramatically improves digestion and reduces bloating.
It also helps move gas through the intestines and stabilises glucose levels.
Intense exercise however straight after meals diverts blood away from the digestive organs and impairs digestive function, so just keep it a light christmas light walk 🙂
3. Hydrate Properly (Not Just More Water)
Dehydration worsens bloating, but plain water isn’t always enough.
Add electrolytes or a pinch of celtic sea salt to one bottle per day—especially if you’re drinking alcohol or coffee.
4. Use the “Half Plate Fibre” Rule
At parties or dinners, fill half your plate with:
Salad
Colourful veg
Fibre slows sugar spikes, helps move things through the gut, and reduces fluid retention.
5. Support Your Nervous System Before Eating… this is what I call “Mealtime Hygiene”
Try this simple 20–30 second reset before meals:
Try to keep actual mealtimes, as opposed to eating on the run
Sit and smell your food
Don’t go drinking a large glass of liquid with your meals… you’re watering down your digestive enzymes! Please drink plenty of water etc outside of meal times so you can make digestive juices!
Shoulders down
Exhale longer than you inhale
This activates your parasympathetic system (“rest and digest”) so your gut can actually do its job.
6. Limit Sugar + Alcohol Pairing
These two together are the biggest bloating trigger.
Choose one—not both—in a single sitting when you can.
7. Add Digestive Support
If you know December hits your gut hard, consider:
Digestive bitters
Ginger capsules
Magnesium citrate (for motility)
A quality probiotic
Digestive enzymes
(These are general suggestions—you don’t need to do all of them, and it’s always best to get a professional opinion on what might be best for you, given your medications and circumstances).
When Bloating Is Something More..
Festive changes can trigger temporary symptoms… but if you feel bloated most of the month, even outside December, it may signal deeper issues.
If bloating is affecting your confidence, comfort, or energy, it’s worth investigating properly.
You Don’t Have to End the Year Feeling Puffy, Heavy or Uncomfortable
December doesn’t have to derail your gut—or your hormones.
With a few strategic shifts, you can enjoy the food, fun and festivities without feeling inflamed or exhausted.
Identifying what’s causing your bloating can be tricky! You’re not alone, I’m always here to help!
Tash xx
