Managing Christmas and Constipation
With Christmas right around the corner now is a good time to begin planning how to manage constipation over the holidays. Beginning from Thanksgiving, at the end of November, until New Year’s, America's calorie intake skyrockets. The increase of calories means an increase in unhealthy foods which can cause you to experience constipation and can be especially harrowing if you are already prone to constipation. Constipation can mean more than having difficulty going to the bathroom. It can cause you to develop other serious health problems like hemorrhoids and hyperthyroidism. To learn about different options how to prevent hemorrhoids that can pop up over the holiday season check out Hemclear reviews. Continue reading to learn more about constipation and to learn tips on how to manage your diet so as to avoid developing constipation over the holidays.
Choose the Right Foods
Oftentimes experts will say that in order to cut out unhealthy foods from your diet, you should remove the temptation entirely. When it comes to the Christmas and the holidays, that is not a simple task. Even if you try to cut out temptation, you can still find yourself invited to a Christmas or holiday dinner loaded with meats, carbs and others constipation causing foods. When facing a packed holiday table, try to fill up on the right foods that won’t constipate you and are full of fiber. Instead of reaching for constipating roasted potatoes, load your plate with green options like green beans or Brussel sprouts that can get your bowels moving. First courses usually involve a salad. Although, when loaded with dressing and croutons, a salad may not necessarily be much lower in calories, the greens can still prevent you from becoming constipated.
Hydrate
As soon as the holiday seasons starts, begin increasing your water intake. Dehydration is a common cause of constipation because if your body doesn’t have enough water the large intestine will then absorb the water from your food waste and make stools harder to pass. Drinking more fluids can cause stools to become easier to pass. When choosing liquids to keep you hydrated try to stick with mostly water but occasionally opting for fruit or vegetable juices or teas is also a holiday-friendly alternative. Make sure to stay away from alcohol which is a diuretic, sodas and caffeinated drinks which can actually cause you to become dehydration.
Move Around
Moving around and exercising is one of the most effective ways to get your bowels moving. It causes allows food waste to pass more easily through your system. Refraining from exercise can make it harder for waste to pass through and cause you to become constipated. The recommendation is to get thirty minutes, five days a week of light exercise in order to keep your bowels moving. Although that may seem like a lot, thirty minutes a day can be broken into three ten minute walk around the block in between courses.
If the holiday season has caused you to become especially constipated in the past, take the right steps to ensure that you do not endure that again this year. The holidays are a time to be spent with friends and family and not sitting on the toilet.
