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The holidays bring plenty of rich meals, sweet treats, busy schedules, and changes to your normal routine. While that is part of the fun, it can also leave your stomach feeling bloated, uncomfortable, or sluggish.
You do not have to avoid every holiday food to take care of your gut. These 10 simple, holistic tips can help support digestion so you can enjoy the season and feel more like yourself.
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1. Incorporate Gut-Supporting Foods
Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, kefir, and yogurt contain beneficial bacteria that can help support a healthy gut microbiome. Try incorporating small servings alongside your holiday meals or eating them regularly between celebrations.
You can also swap one of your daily coffees for Sleek & Slender Tea. It contains white tea, which provides gentle caffeine along with antioxidants that support a healthy inflammatory response. Sleek & Slender is our only caffeinated tea, making it a great option when you want an energy boost without reaching for another cup of coffee.
Use a tea tumbler to take Sleek & Slender on the go
2. Sip Ginger Tea After Heavy Meals
Ginger has a long history of use for digestive discomfort. Its naturally occurring compounds, including gingerols, help support gastrointestinal motility, which is the movement of food through the digestive system.
Sipping ginger tea after a large meal may help with occasional nausea, sluggish digestion, bloating, and that overly full feeling.
Our favorite ginger teas for holiday gut support include:
- Inflammation Relief Tea, which combines ginger with soothing herbs such as Tulsi, chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and calendula
- Joint Support Tea, which contains ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, and other warming spices
- Bye Bye, Bloat Tea, which combines ginger with several herbs traditionally used to support digestion and relieve occasional bloating
3. Use Peppermint to Ease Digestive Tension
Peppermint can help relax the digestive tract, making it a popular herb for occasional gas, cramping, nausea, and bloating. It is especially helpful when your stomach feels tense after a rich meal.
Two of our favorite teas with peppermint are:
- Bye Bye, Bloat Tea, created to support digestion and provide relief from occasional bloating and gas
- Inflammation Relief Tea, which combines peppermint with ginger, chamomile, Tulsi, calendula, and other soothing herbs to support the gut and a healthy inflammatory response
Enjoy either tea warm after a meal or brew it ahead of time and serve it over ice.
We love using this glass teapot to make Inflammation Relief
4. Get Enough Fiber
Holiday meals are often heavy in refined carbohydrates, dairy, meat, and sweets while being lower in fiber. That change alone can leave digestion feeling slower than usual.
Fiber supports regular bowel movements and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Try adding fiber-rich foods to your plate whenever you can, including:
- Avocado
- Carrots
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Beans and lentils
- Whole grains
- Apples, pears, and berries
Increase fiber gradually and drink enough water with it. Adding too much fiber too quickly can sometimes make gas and bloating worse.
5. Keep an Eye on Your Water Intake
Water helps the body break down food, absorb nutrients, and maintain regular bowel movements. When you combine richer meals with travel, alcohol, salty foods, and less water, constipation and bloating can become more likely.
Keep a reusable water bottle nearby and sip throughout the day instead of trying to catch up all at once. Herbal tea also contributes to your daily fluid intake and can be an easy way to stay hydrated when cold water is not appealing.
Your hydration needs depend on factors such as your body size, activity level, climate, health, and medications. Rather than following one rigid formula, look for pale-yellow urine and steady thirst as general hydration cues.
6. Take a Walk After a Large Meal
Gentle movement after eating can help support the natural movement of food through your digestive system. It may also help reduce that heavy, sluggish feeling that follows a large holiday meal.
You do not need to do an intense workout. A comfortable 10- to 20-minute walk with a friend or family member can support digestion while giving you a chance to relax and connect.
If walking immediately after eating feels uncomfortable, give your stomach a little time to settle first.
7. Cook With Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices do more than add flavor. Many contain antioxidants and plant compounds that support digestion, the gut microbiome, and a healthy inflammatory response.
Try seasoning holiday dishes with:
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Fennel
- Cloves
- Rosemary
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Oregano
Using herbs and spices can make nutritious dishes more satisfying without relying entirely on excess salt, sugar, or heavy sauces.
You can also find several of these warming herbs in Joint Support Tea, including turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, fennel, cloves, and black pepper.
Joint Support makes a lovely latte
8. Manage Holiday Stress
The brain and digestive system constantly communicate through what is known as the gut-brain connection. When you feel stressed, your nervous system can affect digestion, appetite, gut motility, and sensitivity. This is why some people experience more bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, or stomach discomfort during stressful periods.
Holiday stress can come from travel, financial pressure, complicated family relationships, lack of sleep, and the feeling that everything must be perfect.
Support your nervous system by building small moments of calm into your day. You might journal, meditate, take a bath, spend time outside, or sit quietly with a warm cup of tea.
The Cortisol Tea Bundle provides support throughout the entire day:
- Cortisol Daytime Tea helps the body adapt to everyday stress while supporting calm energy, focus, and resilience.
- Cortisol Evening Tea helps release tension, quiet a busy mind, and prepare the body for restful sleep.
Managing stress is not only important for your mood. It can also make a meaningful difference in how your stomach feels.
9. Respect Your Personal Food Triggers
The holidays are not the best time to test how much of a known trigger food your stomach can handle. If dairy, gluten, fried foods, alcohol, or another ingredient consistently makes you feel unwell, give yourself permission to skip it or choose a smaller portion.
You can still enjoy the foods you love without ignoring what your body has already taught you.
If alcohol irritates your stomach or disrupts your sleep, try replacing it with sparkling water, an herbal tea spritzer, or a festive mocktail. Just remember that some carbonated drinks can increase bloating in sensitive individuals.
Persistent digestive symptoms deserve attention. If certain foods regularly cause pain, diarrhea, constipation, or other significant symptoms, speak with a healthcare professional rather than eliminating multiple food groups on your own.
10. Prioritize Sleep and Avoid Overdoing It
Sleep gives your body time to recover and helps regulate stress, appetite, immune function, and digestion. Unfortunately, late-night gatherings, alcohol, travel, and heavy meals can all disrupt it.
Try to keep your sleep and wake times relatively consistent, even during the holidays. Keep your bedroom cool and dark, limit caffeine later in the day, and avoid lying down immediately after a large meal.
Portion size matters too. There is no shame in enjoying indulgent holiday foods, but eating past the point of fullness can contribute to reflux, bloating, nausea, and poor sleep.
Slow down, enjoy your food, and give your body time to tell you when it has had enough.
Check out this adorable glass teapot
Enjoy the Holidays Without Ignoring Your Gut
Supporting your gut during the holidays does not require a restrictive diet or a perfect routine. Small habits such as drinking enough water, adding fiber, taking a walk, managing stress, and choosing digestion-supporting herbal teas can help you feel more comfortable.
The goal is not to control every bite. It is to give your body enough support that you can enjoy the food, traditions, and people you love.