Holiday feasts - a jolly tradition or a harmful habit




Christmas and New Year’s Eve are times of happiness and good memories shared with friends and family. But what hides behind is not as enjoyable as the presents under the tree the morning after. Consumerism and systematic overeating are an inseparable and inevitable part of the holidays. Not to mention all the visits we make so that we are certain we celebrated with all the members of our family and all of our friends. But that feeling of uncomfortable fullness accompanying those holiday ravels that we brush off  just as inconvenience that keeps us from fully enjoying the festivities has way more detrimental  effects on our health than the few pounds we gain.
To begin with, in order to digest the food your stomach produces a strong acid. So the more you eat the more acid it produces and some of it travels up the esophagus resulting in heartburn (pain in the chest or throat). Moreover, the bigger meals take more time to be digested which results in gasses and bloating. As your body struggles to digest the food load, it sends more blood to the gastrointestinal track and leaves the other organs with less oxygen. That is the reason why we feel sluggish and lightheaded after un grand repas. If it consisted mainly of carbohydrates, trying to cope with them ,your body releases insulin that may initially give you a spurt of energy but shortly after it crashes. Thinking you do not need all that energy, your body decides to  store some as fat. Hence, you put on some weight and let us not forget that our stomachs expand resulting in the need for more food afterwards and again to gaining weight. And adding some alcohol to this feast of overindulgence you might spend the night doing anything but sleeping. In the morning along with the feeling of hunger you might have a headache, difficulty concentrating,  fatigue, etc.
In conclusion, instead of stuffing our faces like it is our last day on Earth we can spear the additional stress over our bodies and try eating mindfully and listening to what they say. And when you hear them screaming “I’m begging you just stop. That is enough”,  you had better do it. After all they work in our best interest. 























 

Автор: Теодора  Георгиева


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