Festive Eating and Digestion: How to Avoid Bloating and Discomfort

The Australian ‘silly season’ does not feature just one big celebratory meal; it is actually a series of very long meals. Dips and nibbles at 11 o’clock.

Offerings from the barbeque at one. Pavlova, trifle or pudding (or all three) at four, followed by cheese and crackers at five - by which point nobody is entirely sure whether they are finishing lunch or starting dinner.

This long drawn-out style of eating is likely to be duplicated at another event three days later, and again the week after. It may seem leisurely, but it actually demands something quite different from your digestive system than a single sitting does.

Several key things about food change over the silly season.

They are:

Portion size and type. Fat slows the rate at which your stomach empties, so rich dishes stay with you longer. You are not imagining that heavy feeling after the cheese board.

Spacing. Grazing across five or six hours means the next round of food arrives before the last one has been processed.

Routine. Late nights, late meals, more eating while standing around and talking; stress slows stomach emptying, too.

Variety. You are asking your body – specifically, your enzymes – to handle carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre and lactose, all together, repeatedly, and at hours your body is not used to eating. It is not just one difficult-to-digest food, but a broad and unpredictable range.

Amylase - starch Bread, potato, rice, stuffing
Protease - protein Ham, turkey, prawns, nuts
Lipase - fat Cream, oils, cheese, roast potatoes
Lactase - milk sugars Custard, ice cream, soft cheeses
Cellulase - cellulose The fibre in plant cell walls

While feeling overly full, bloated or uncomfortable over the silly season is common, it does usually settle on its own. Ensure you chew properly - it is the only part of digestion you consciously control.

Sit down for the main plate(s), even just for 10 minutes. Keep drinking water right through the event. Where possible, stand, stretch or walk between courses, rather than after all of them. And prioritise events, rather than go to everything - let the gap between big grazing-style occasions be a decent length.

Note: If digestive symptoms are persistent or severe, or if there is ongoing pain, unexplained weight loss or a clear change in your bowel habits, see your health professional.