If you’re prone to heartburn and acid reflux, preparing your stomach ahead of Thanksgiving could be your best bet to avoid those symptoms.
Many Americans will dig into Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday, indulging on rich, hearty dishes to mark the holiday.
For some, the goal is to devour as big a meal as possible while avoiding discomforts such as heartburn and acid reflux.
Dr. Joseph Jennings, gastroenterologist and hepatologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, said the best way to avoid those symptoms is to avoid “overindulging.”
“But that’s not in the spirit of Thanksgiving,” Jennings said.
With that in mind, he said there are steps you can take to prevent pain or discomfort after feasting.
Heading into the big day, Jennings said people should be proactive. If you’re prone to heartburn and frequently take antacids, he recommended taking that medication for a few days before the meal.
Skipping breakfast won’t make room in your stomach for extra food, he said.
“You actually might be a little bit more prone to discomfort, because your stomach is going to sort of be getting used to the fact that there’s no food in there, small and shrinking up a little bit,” he said. “Then you hit it with something big, and especially something rich and heavy, it might have a hard time with that.”
Instead, he said to plan out calories for the day and perhaps have a smaller breakfast than usual.
“I would focus on easy-to-digest foods,” Jennings said. “A Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs and then small servings of fruits are always a good idea.”
Eating too much fiber the morning of Thanksgiving could make you feel too full to indulge. But he recommended eating fibrous foods in the days leading up to your celebration.
“The other thing we can do leading up to a big event like this is trying to keep ourselves as regular as possible when it comes to going to the bathroom,” he said. “You don’t need to take laxatives or take any sort of purgatives.”
Instead, he said to drink plenty of water before and during the meal.
Jennings also recommended spacing out your feast and taking breaks between appetizers, the main course and dessert.
“Giving your GI tract more time to do the processing that happens in the stomach and then getting it into the small intestines, creates more room and less discomfort,” Jennings said.
That pacing goes for alcoholic beverages, too.
“As we do enjoy some adult beverages on holidays, try to keep that in real moderation, because alcohol in general also is upsetting to the stomach,” Jennings said.
After the meal has wrapped up, he said to avoid laying down.
“Falling asleep on the couch watching football after your big meal is as American as apple pie,” he said. “But if you can get up and move around, especially in the hour or two after eating, gravity will help your body digest that food.”
He said taking a walk after dinner could be a great option.
“It actually will go a long way in both less heartburn, less reflux in the later evening, and actually even making some more space for some great desserts afterward,” he said.
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