What to do if you eat too much during the Spring Festival and have indigestion? Three easy ways to solve it!

Review expert: Peng Guoqiu, deputy chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

During this Spring Festival holiday, have you been eating and eating... drinking and drinking... eating big fish and meat for every meal, drinking "sweet drinks" for every meal, and not only having a "swimming ring" on your belly, but also often eating too much, gradually feeling uncomfortable in your stomach and intestines, and even having symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

This is all caused by indigestion!

Part.0 1Why is it easier to get indigestion during the Chinese New Year?

Loss of control over food intake

On weekdays, we have relatively stable control over our food intake. However, when the Chinese New Year arrives, all kinds of delicious food are served on the table one after another. Unknowingly, we consume too much food, which far exceeds the digestive capacity of our stomach and intestines, and naturally we feel uncomfortable.

Wide variety of food

Braised pork, desserts, rice cakes, etc. on the table are all tempting us, but these delicacies bring considerable challenges to the stomach. Greasy food contains a lot of fat and cholesterol, while desserts and rice cakes contain a lot of sugar and are sticky. Mixing multiple foods together increases the burden of gastrointestinal digestion.

Sharp decrease in physical activity

On weekdays, we have a certain amount of activities after work and study, but during the Chinese New Year, we often sit for the whole day, which will cause gastrointestinal motility to slow down, food stays in the gastrointestinal tract for too long, and food cannot be digested in time, causing problems such as indigestion and constipation.

Part.02What should I do if I have indigestion?

Optimize the diet structure and properly match the diet. You can start by reducing the burden on your stomach and intestines, reduce the intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods such as meat and fried foods, and eat more foods rich in dietary fiber. For example, vegetables such as spinach, celery, leeks, cucumbers, broccoli; fruits such as apples, bananas, dragon fruits, oranges, and whole grains such as oats, corn, millet, and barley. They are like "intestinal scavengers" that can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and effectively prevent constipation and food accumulation.

Simple abdominal massage to solve the problem of indigestion

Abdominal massage is an effective method to relieve the problem of food accumulation. Its principle is to stimulate gastrointestinal motility, promote digestion and absorption, and thus improve symptoms such as abdominal distension and abdominal pain caused by food accumulation.

Lie flat on the bed, relax your body, rub your hands together to warm them up, and place them on your abdomen. With your navel as the center, gently massage in clockwise or counterclockwise circles with moderate force. Massage for 10-15 minutes each time, 2-3 times a day.

Homemade digestive drinks to help relieve the burden on the stomach and intestines

You can also make some digestive drinks to relieve your stomach and intestines.

After eating too much meat, you can have a cup of hawthorn water. Hawthorn is rich in organic acids and lipase, which can stimulate the gastric mucosa to secrete gastric juice and help decompose fat and protein. Wash and slice the hawthorn, put it in a pot, add appropriate amount of water, boil it over high heat, then turn to low heat and cook the hawthorn until it is cooked.

If you eat too much rice and flour, you can try malt tea. The Compendium of Materia Medica mentions that malt can "digest all rice, flour and fruit food accumulation." The method of making malt tea is also very simple: wash the roasted malt and put it in a pot, add appropriate amount of water and boil it, then simmer it on low heat for 10 minutes, and drink it when the water temperature is suitable.