Ayurvedic Digestive Principles for Navigating the Thanksgiving Feast and Holiday Season

Nov 26

The holiday season brings joy, connection, and—let’s face it—a lot of food. Thanksgiving, in particular, can be a time of overindulgence, leaving us feeling heavy, bloated, or lethargic. Ayurveda, the ancient science of holistic health, offers timeless wisdom to help you enjoy the festivities without sacrificing your digestive health. Here are some tips to help you savor the season while keeping your Agni (digestive fire) strong and balanced.

1. Start with an Attitude of Gratitude and Mindful Eating

Before diving into your plate, pausing for a moment of gratitude can shift your mindset to one of mindful eating. Ayurveda teaches that how you eat is just as important as what you eat. Slow, mindful eating with happiness and appreciation for the nourishment you are receiving. If you have a big extended family with lots of volatile emotions like anger, resentment, or sadness, it will lead to digestive woe. Perhaps everyone at the table shares one thing they are grateful for: a perfect Thanksgiving tradition before the meal, which fosters connection and positivity and will go a long way in aiding digestion.

2. Warm Up Your Agni Before the Meal

To prepare your digestive fire for the Thanksgiving feast, consider stimulating it with one of these Ayurvedic practices:

Sip on a small glass of warm water with lemon or ginger tea 30 minutes before the meal.
Chew a small slice of fresh ginger with a pinch of rock salt and a squeeze of lime.

3. Favor a Full Flavor Profile

Ayurveda emphasizes incorporating all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent—in every meal. While Thanksgiving meals are heavily focused on sweet and salty, you can balance them with bitter greens, spicy chutneys, or astringent foods like homemade (not overly sweet) cranberry sauce.

4. Avoid Overeating: Wait for the Burp

You’ve waited all year for this feast. The temptation to pile your plate high is strong and may even be somewhat of a tradition and expectation in many families. However, Ayurveda advises eating until you’re about 75% full, which leaves room for the stomach to digest efficiently. A quick reference would be to put your two hands together, palms up. An appropriate amount of food would fill your hands. Another way to gauge when you have truly “had enough” is that you will burp. It’s subtle; listen for it. It is your body signaling that you have eaten your fill. If this information is new to you, it will be a game-changer once you tune in to it…. At least until next Thanksgiving. ;)

Do you remember that horrible, heavy feeling when you have completely stuffed yourself? Overeating dampens your digestive fire, leading to sluggishness and discomfort and the deposition of metabolic toxins.

Tip: Chew a tsp. of fennel seeds afterward and sip herbal teas like fennel, peppermint, or cinnamon after dinner to aid digestion and prevent bloating.

5. Take a Post-Meal Walk

Ayurveda encourages walking after meals to support digestion. A walk outside in nature after the Thanksgiving feast can help prevent heaviness and bloating while aiding the digestive process.

6. Digestive Remedies

In reality, you may overdo it. I mean, it is Thanksgiving!

Don’t stress or worry about it; that is the surefire way to tank digestion!

Ayurveda is about balance. Food and life are meant to be enjoyed! So, if you are going to indulge, do it fully, without guilt or self-blame.

If you find yourself feeling overly full or experiencing indigestion, these Ayurvedic remedies can help:

Triphala: helps cleanse the digestive system and supports regularity. Take it before bed with warm water.
Easy Digest: Helps ease digestive woes.
Cumin-Coriander-Fennel Tea: This soothing tea can calm an upset stomach and aid digestion.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and harmonious holiday!