Thanksgiving is a food-centric holiday; typically, we get together with family, share food, catch up and watch a game. One problem with the day is too much food and Thanksgiving bloat. Ayurveda teaches, four easy steps to get out ahead of it so you feel good Thursday and Friday and beyond.
I look forward to Turkey Day and will miss family connection in 2020 due to COVID 19 social isolation guidelines. In Massachusetts where I live, rules are in place to give thanks on a much smaller scale than usual. Eating with fewer people may not mean less overeating. I love food and struggle to eat for my digestion rather than my emotions. The inherent variability of vata season means actively supporting steady digestive fire.
The Thanksgiving tradition of severe overeating has consequences. Thanksgiving dinner is a source of overwhelmed agni all across the nation. Ongoing Agni overwhelm has health consequences. I make it a practice to tune up my digestive fire, particularly for this holiday, because I don’t enjoy feeling stuffed and having gas pains. Thanksgiving bloat is no joke. I don’t want one day to throw myself off for a week or, worse, start a landslide that lasts through Christmas.
Use 2020 as an excuse to forge new traditions; it may be more comfortable this year because so many family holiday traditions are off the table. Ayurvedic eating traditions are a great resource to make the old new and feel better. COVID 19 is reprioritizing life and, in consequence, is gifting us with change and space. I am working to make changes for good.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and count our blessings. Suddenly, many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.
Joyce Giraud Joyce Giraud Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/joyce_giraud_654412
4 Steps To Tune Up Your Agni and Avoid Thanksgiving Bloat
- Easy to Digest Eating
For Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, eat vegetarian or vegan for a few days to lighten the load. Skip the cheese, meat, and high-fat foods. Kitchari or Vegetable soups are an agni building lead up to Thanksgiving day.
- CCF Tea
CCF Tea is a classic digestive aid. Drink this tea mid-morning or mid-afternoon ½ an hour or later after eating. Stop drinking ½ hour before eating so as not to dilute stomach acid before your next meal. Ginger Tea is an excellent alternative if CCF is not to your taste.
- Intermittent Fasting Thanksgiving week
Stop eating after dinner by 6:30 pm and don’t resume consuming food until lunch the next day is one type of intermittent fasting that builds your digestive fire. You will feel hunger, maybe for the first time in a long time. That is the point; you rested your agni enough so that it called for food. Only practice this if you are in good health and up for the challenge. Consult your health care team if you have any questions or concerns.
- Take a walk and move instead of snacking this week. Then keep it up 3 to 5 times each week.
Regular movement increases our metabolic rate, keeps our gut biome happy, and enhances our ability to digest our food. Activity helps peristalsis the way muscles move food in the digestive process.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on and appreciate the gifts of family, friends, and the love in your life. Enjoy preparing for the day, then rejoice in the celebration. For tips on ways to tune-up your Thanksgiving meal to keep agni burning bright, click this link. If you wake up feeling a little full from you celebration, listen to your body, and get back on track as quickly as possible.
Ayurselfcare’s purpose is to educate on the benefits of Ayurveda. This article is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.