Looking to protect your bariatric gut during the holidays?  Check out our audio transcript for 10 tips.

10 Holiday Tips To Protect A Bariatric Gut

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, Registered Dietitian, and this week’s topic is 10 holiday tips to Maintain a healthy Gut after Bariatric surgery. We’re going to dive into kind of how to protect your gut through the holidays, and we’ve already survived two of the holidays this season with Halloween and Thanksgiving, but there’s still Christmas and New Year’s, so we need to stay strong and not let things get out of hand that by the end of the season that now you have gut dysbiosis and just a big imbalance that is created because things have been out of balance in your life for the whole holiday season. So first off, let’s talk about mindful eating amidst the festivities. So again, being present is truly an important task. Living in America, not always easy to do, we are rush, rush, go, go, and we tend to let things just take over our thoughts and we are not even present in the room mentally, and that’s what I want you to pay attention to.

Alcohol Awareness

(01:30):

So when your mind is somewhere else, then when you’re eating, you are less likely to get normal hunger cues, fullness and satiation cues, and it creates this great imbalance that is driven really by the stress of ruminating on things and not being present. Additionally, food is supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be tasty, it’s supposed to be social. This is how we do community. So being mindful, put the food in your mouth, taste it, smell it, feel it, all the senses. You want to experience all the senses with food because it’s important. And when you bring yourself down to that, then you can have what I would call a positive relationship with food because in the end you need food, you can’t not eat, you don’t survive long without the fuel that your body needs and you feel pretty crummy additionally. So making sure you’re mindfully there and present at meals can help prevent overeating, especially after bariatric surgery.

Protective Measures with L-Glutamine

(02:47):

It’s easy to not pay attention and because of the surgery, even taking one more bite can sometimes just tip you over to be miserable or having some nausea and vomiting, so not what you want. So be present, be mindful, enjoy the food that you are experiencing through this next month of December. And truly just don’t worry so much about numbers and your weight and all of that. It’s just truly being present and enjoying this season of time. Now I also want to talk about alcohol and its effects on your gut health because the holiday season is full of lots of festive drinks and this is something that I think having that awareness around that can really support you and keep you grounded in making good decisions. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having alcohol after bariatric surgery. I think it’s a normal human thing, but do know that alcohol can become a problem for some and you don’t even have to have had alcohol problems prior to surgery for this to become a problem.

Blood Sugar Balance

(04:12):

So always use wisdom, always know that you absorb alcohol very quickly and it gets metabolized quickly and can create a lot of problems for people if they don’t keep it in check. So on the flip side, I want you to also think about the impact that alcohol has on your gut bacteria and it can create dysbiosis in your gut because of the alcohol and it actually can lead to a condition we call small intestinal bacteria overgrowth growth or sibo. And this is something that alcohol is problematic in leading to. So anytime you’re consistently consuming alcoholic beverages on a regular basis, your gut health could be compromised. One trick I like to use is our multi-sport powder, which is the L-glutamine. We use a therapeutic dose and it can really help support a healthy gut lining and be protective against alcohol. So that’s one thing that I like to use if I’m drinking alcohol is to really support my gut lining and making sure that I keep it strong and healthy by utilizing that multi-sport powder.

Moderation and Boundaries

(05:48):

Additionally, a lot of people think that blood sugar issues would be the opposite of what really happens with alcohol. Most people will think the alcohol will cause a rise in blood sugar, and in essence what it truly does is causes a low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. So this is something that you have to keep in mind and you have to kind of counterbalance in making sure that you’re having food with it. Ideally you would have alcohol during a meal when you’re having proteins and carbohydrates and fats and fiber and all of the properties that your body needs to kind of slow that absorption down so then it can have some blood sugar stability from the foods that you’re eating. It will help prevent the spikes and the drops that can occur from the alcohol. So using moderation, using awareness, setting some boundaries or all important to do.

Hydrate Smartly

(06:54):

Lastly, I want to say hydration. So when it comes to alcohol, not only does it lower your blood sugar and compromise your gut integrity, but it also dehydrates you. That is something that you have to keep in mind. So utilizing some type of electrolytes when you are drinking before the alcohol and after the alcohol, and really even during, if you’re having a few drinks, a few cocktails, few glasses of wine, maybe you have the electrolytes before and then after the first drink and then kind of in between the first and second drink if you’re having more than one. And then the next day making sure that you’re staying on top of that hydration as well because it will make a difference because again, alcohol dehydrates you and you need to replenish those electrolytes to help support adequate hydration levels. Now the next thing that I want you to think about is protein and how it can really support blood sugar stability during the holidays and really how to be smart about these festive meals that you’re going to maybe be partaking in how to make some good informed decisions and prioritizing protein is one piece of this and we know, I mean, as a bariatric patient, I feel like you guys are all already aware of this, the importance of protein.

Protein Power

(08:26):

The one thing that you probably have learned from your training prior to having surgery is the importance of protein. So having protein rich foods can help support healthy blood sugar levels compared to when consuming carbohydrates. When you put them together, that’s when you can prevent those spikes. So protein in combination with the carbohydrates can significantly improve how your body responds to that food. If you had carbohydrates all by themselves, you would likely get a spike and then a crash. If you had protein, then carbohydrates, you would get a spike because that’s normal for our blood sugars to go up with food. Ideally you want it to jump 15 to 20 points at most and not exceeding 30 point rise. Anything above a 30 point rise is telling us that your body is not managing or capable of managing that amount of carbohydrates or whatever it is that you have consumed.

Balanced Plate Approach

(09:45):

It was not able to handle that well. And so we want to prevent those spikes. And having protein before you have the carbohydrates is a great way to kind of blunt that spike and prevent a crash, which is what would happen if you had carbohydrates by themselves. So making kind of balanced choices with protein, fiber and fat, those are really the key pieces to balanced blood sugars and it can make a huge difference during the holidays because there’s so many opportunities for lots of different foods and there’s nothing wrong with having those foods, but you got to do it kind of in the right combination where you’re having protein first, you get your protein in and then you partake in some of those other carbohydrate sourced type festive dishes. So it’s not that you don’t have them, it’s just you’ll be limited on the amount that you can have because your appetite is going to be controlled more from the protein.

Nutrient-Dense Choices

(10:55):

So really just having an approach where you do a balanced plate with half of your plate being protein and then you kind of spread out the carbohydrates, the fibers, the fats, all of that is so important to include each time you are putting food on your plate. So making protein, the star of the plate can help support a healthy gut during the holiday season. Now how about choosing nutrient dense foods for your gut and hormone balance? So this is something that you’ve got to kind of think at a big picture level and your gut plays a role in your hunger and appetite and satiety hormones. So this is kind of a crucial piece because we want to optimize your fullness cues and we want you to also optimize those hunger cues because we need you to eat. We can’t have you eating so little food that you don’t even meet your metabolic needs.

Hormone Balance

(12:07):

So important piece to consider. How can consuming nourishing foods during this holiday season really help support your gut health? So first, it’s phytochemicals for your gut health. Phytochemicals are kind of this compound that is abundant and fruits and vegetables, and they do play a vital role in having a healthy gut, and they also have a role in digestion and gut integrity. Consuming foods that are rich in vital chemicals like berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, these food properties that are naturally in these types of foods, your fruits, your vegetables, your fiber filled carbohydrates, they all help enhance your gut barrier function and can really set you up for avoiding gut dysbiosis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, blood sugar imbalances, depression, anxiety, all of that stuff that impacts your brain can also be involved in this as well. But the big picture is consuming when you compare a consumption of the highly refined ultra processed foods compared to nourishing foods with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Colorful Plate, Healthy Gut

(13:40):

Great big difference on how that translates into the health of your gut. So the more colors that you have on your plate, the more phytochemicals that are there to protect your gut health. So challenge yourself to build your plate, half of it, protein, and then see how many colors you can get on the other half of the plate to help support a healthy gut microbiome. Additionally, you want to think about antioxidants and the polyphenols. They play a role in butyrate production and again, berries, dark chocolate, nuts, certain spices, they truly do help boost your beneficial gut bacteria. And these compounds can really help increase the production of butyrate, which is just that short chain fatty acid that is essential for gut health and it is the primary energy source for your cells in your colon and that gut lining, and it does help lower inflammation in your digestive and really just help support healthy blood sugar balance.

Antioxidants and Polyphenols

(14:55):

So including again, those compounds from dark chocolate and the nuts and the seeds and just colorful fruits and vegetables will help fuel those gut bacteria to actually help support a healthy holiday season without creating a gut dysbiosis because you’ve consumed too many sugars and refined ultra processed foods. So take this time to actually cook some meals and cook some side dishes that can really support you during this holiday season. Now lastly, it also would play a role in your appetite hormones. So antioxidants and polyphenols really do influence those hormones like leptin and ghrelin, and it really can help dictate your fullness and hunger cues. So including those foods that are rich in polyphenols like the colorful foods that I mentioned with berries, cocoa, but then also green tea, olive oil, and any of the fruits and vegetables are always going to be key. They especially love cranberries, they especially love cherries and just those deep dark colored vegetables like beets, all of those are crucial to keeping your appetite hormones in check.

Appetite Hormone Control

(16:31):

So by adding the other half of your plate full of colors and fibers and healthy fats is really the key to maintaining a healthy gut, but then also keeping those hunger cues in. Check next for managing the holidays, you have to think about hydration and staying well hydrated is key. So not only if we talked about it in the scope of alcohol, but just in general really keeping your water going, making sure that you are consuming half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water. That would be the key ideal scenario where you’re actually consuming half of your body weight in hydrating fluids. So you don’t want it to be caffeinated because that pulls fluid out of your body. So we want it to be fluids that can actually promote hydration, but then you also want to make sure you’re not missing some electrolytes. Most everybody needs a little bit of electrolytes to truly help support the fluid getting into your cells. So we need some potassium, magnesium, sodium, those type of transporters to get into the cells for the fluid to get into the cells. So making sure that you’re including that at times so that you get optimal hydration.

Moderate Indulgences

(18:12):

The next one is just kind of moderating your indulgences. So this is the holidays, this is the time when you’re going to be exposed to lots of opportunities and sometimes too many opportunities and you have to check yourself and say, am I partaking too often? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying these fun foods. They’re tasty, they are festive, and they just taste good. And it’s one of those things that depends on the person is dependent on how well you can incorporate these. I know my patients who have those genetic snips where they are more sugar loving or they are more have aversions to bitter foods and they really are drawn to those sugary things. It is tricky, and this is where I just say protein first, adequate fiber and healthy fats. Those are the three things you can’t compromise on and then fill in your plate with all of those bright, colorful fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a key piece to preventing you from going too crazy on all of the sweets and desserts and things that we should enjoy during the season.

Genetic pieces

(19:41):

You just have to determine what works for you. So everybody’s journey with their relationship with food is different and there may be times where you have to say, you know what? I’m just not in a place right now where this works, and that’s okay as you work on it and get better at not letting those thoughts take over. And you start dealing with some of maybe your past traumas and things that have contributed to you not having control around those foods and then maybe addressing some of the genetic pieces to help kind of mute those down and turn those genes off so that you do have better control and you don’t feel so drawn to them. So again, my best tip is if you truly want some sweet things, try to minimize as much of the sugar as possible so it doesn’t compromise your gut health.

Sugar and Blood Sugar Balance

(20:43):

So things with dark chocolate or the cocoa powder is a great way. Things with fruit, you’re cooking with fresh fruit that will help lower that blood sugar spike, will help prevent it impairing your gut lining and really kind of prevent those appetite regulation hormones and those cravings to take over being mindful about your sugar intake and carbohydrates for your blood sugar balance. So this is one thing that maintaining a stable blood sugar is really the biggest piece of this. It will help support healthy weight loss and maintenance, and it is really the key to stabilizing with stabilizing your blood sugar. This is where it can really help support a healthy weight in maintaining it. Long-term is just focusing on blood sugar balance. So this is where fiber filled carbohydrates are so important in making sure that you are consuming adequate fiber throughout the day so that you keep those blood sugar levels kind of in check.

Balancing Act: Fiber, Protein, and Healthy Fats

(22:03):

That fiber helps slow the digestion down. Same with protein that can help slow that digestion down of carbohydrates and natural sugars. So anytime you are having sweets or higher carbohydrate meals, making sure there’s fiber included in it, make sure there’s protein included in it and some type of healthy fat and you might have to get creative. It might be that you throw on five or six olives to a meal that has a high carb number. There’s a lot of carbohydrates in a meal that you could kind of blunt that with some of those healthier fats and then making sure it’s full of vegetables to get that fiber in or you’re using a whole grain carbohydrate that has the fiber in it. Either way, you just want to make sure that you are preventing those big spikes and crashes. You also want to think about the liquid sugars.

Watch Liquid Sugars

(23:04):

So soft drinks, fruit juices, even the mixers and alcoholic beverages can all raise your blood sugar. And then if alcohol’s involved, then it’s going to definitely take you lower on your blood sugar numbers. So really being cognizant of what you are putting in your body and limiting that so that it doesn’t kind of get out of hand throughout the whole month of December. You could easily have that just from Halloween on. Could bring all that stuff back in with the sugars and the liquid sugars with soft drinks and coffee drinks and alcoholic drinks and fruit juices with mixers and all that stuff, easily bring it back in. You just have to get creative in doing maybe some sparkling water, some herbal teas, infused waters. All of those things can help prevent any blood sugar spike, but yet be tasty. So instead of drinking eight ounces of a juice, maybe you use one ounce and then you add sparkling water and cement leaves, or you do an ounce of juice with a green tea or just a chamomile tea or something and you add to top it off with a little sparkling water.

Portion Control

(24:28):

Little things like that can help limit the amount of sugars you’re getting and then prevent those blood sugar ups and downs. You definitely want to think about portion control, although I feel like most bariatric patients don’t have this issue. I do understand that at a genetic level, some people may, and that is okay if you still struggle with your hunger cues maybe being higher than what you expected after bariatric surgery. The key again is just making those three important things. The protein, the fat and the fiber, all of those things at every meal can really support healthy appetite regulation, healthy gut microbiome and healthy blood sugar levels. All of those can really help get you through the holidays when you focus to doing that at all of your meals. So when you’re building your plate, again, half of a protein and then the other half full of fiber colors and healthy fats is really the key.

Plan Ahead for Healthy Choices

(25:39):

Next thing to think about is just planning ahead. I mean, it’s easy to get out of sync with your routine and maybe meal prep or just cooking your meals in the evening. And it’s especially during this holiday season when you’re coming and going and you have lots of events that you should go see people and have fun. So plan ahead. If you’re going out to eat fine, you can still find protein, fiber, and fat at any restaurant. And my best tip is say you’re doing fast food. So do pick your protein. You want to get at least 30 grams of protein wherever you’re at. So you might have to get on the app or Google the restaurant and the nutrition facts for whatever food item or go to the restaurant and start searching what you like and then look at the facts of that meal and you want to get at least 30 grams of protein and then one carbohydrate.

Post-Meal Walks

(26:46):

So say it’s fast food and you want to have a burger. Have a burger and then you need to get a non carbohydrate side. So for some that might look like if you go to a Culver’s where they have broccoli or a cole slaw or maybe some restaurants you go to, you might have a potato salad instead. I would be fine with the potato salad only because it has resistant starch and it helps lower your blood sugar response and provides that resistant starch that enhances your gut microbiome. It produces short chain fatty acids. It really can help support a healthy gut. Again, pick one, maybe you do no bun, but then you do a cyto fries or you do fruit, however you can do it that you enjoy and find that balance that works for you if you want both. If you want, hey, I want a bun and I want the fries, okay, have them, but then go for a walk right after a 10 20 minute walk will help prevent that blood sugar spike and help lower that response.

Carb Smart, Not Carb Fearful

(28:05):

So then your body is going to manage because you’re using up those sugars that you just consumed from the bun and the french fries. So being smart about how you are consuming these foods. I mean the big picture is you need to work with a dietitian to understand how many carbohydrates you need in a day or at each meal because you need some, the amount for each person is different based on your activity levels because some people need carbohydrates at all three meals because you are working out and you are building muscle and you are trying to recover those muscles. So again, don’t be afraid of the carbohydrates, just be smart about it and ask for advice. Find someone who can help give you insight into what works best for you.

Mindful Eating Mastery

(28:58):

Listen to your body when you are full. Learn to push away, process it and then determine five or 10 minutes later, do I need more? Do I want more? If you do have more, if you need more, don’t be afraid about having a second plate. If that’s what your body needs. Again, we’re all different and I don’t know what your activity activity level is or your health goals are and what all you’re working on. Sometimes you need more food than that initial plate may be provided. So again, it’s working with somebody that can really help break this down. And give you kind of a balanced approach that allows you to live your life, enjoy the foods you love and still be successful with weight loss and weight maintenance. I mean, I think that’s the key thing. And learning those hunger and appetite cues. So when you truly are full and to determine, okay, I physically can only eat this amount of food at a meal, but it’s not enough.

One Day at a Time

(30:08):

So that means I have to include snacks later so that again. That personalized attention needs to be developed with a registered dietitian to really help you understand. Your needs because you might not be losing weight because you are undereating. So it’s one of those things that you need someone. Kind of speaking into your life and helping you determine where your needs really are. So going through the holidays is no different. Listening to your body. You’re going to have so much food opportunity that you truly have to just learn to push away. And choose the things that you really want and move on. And just kind of know that it’s one day, it’s not every day and. Then the next day you just get right back on track and doing what you should be doing. The next is really just staying active and moving your body.

Move for Health

(31:14):

I mean, the more you move your body during the holiday season. The better chance you are at maintaining a normal weight throughout the whole holiday season. So just going for walks after meals. Trying to get some strength training with some weights as an amazing way. To use all the sugars that maybe you would be consuming from carbohydrates. Or the alcohols and the sweets and desserts that are available. Your muscle is your biggest consumer of glucose or sugar. And the more muscle you have, your body will continue to burn those calories at rest. So the more we can focus on increasing your muscle mass. The likelihood of you maintaining a healthy weight is there and. A healthy blood sugar balance and a healthy gut microbiome. It’s the whole package. It’s really just staying active and moving your bodies and moving your body and getting that muscle mass up.

Supportive Alliances

(32:22):

And then lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for support. Get a buddy that you can kind of vent and. Talk through your feelings and talk through your plan. And just get a strategy with someone that you can feel confident in being vulnerable with. Because in the end you need that. You need someone who can be a sounding board. Who can maybe even have some tough conversations, give you some tough love when needed. You need those people in your life. So find your person, find your person that you can vent to If you’re like, oh my gosh. I want to eat pancakes and cookies and ice cream all day today. What is going on? So you have that support to say, you know what? It’s okay. Let’s go for a walk together. FaceTime, let’s do whatever so we can get you through and. Let’s talk through how can we maybe get some protein in instead. Before you have some of those foods and just talk you through it.

Professional Guidance

(33:29):

So get a support person that you truly can have those deep conversations. With that help get you through this a little faster. Because when you try to do it alone, things just go slower. When you do it together with other people, things just go way smoother and way faster. So seek that support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Hire a dietitian to help navigate through the holidays. To keep you accountable and making sure that you are one. Eating enough, two, getting adequate protein, fiber and healthy fats. We’re maintaining blood sugar stability.And you just have that accountability person. That can truly look through a different lens and support you on your journey. So let’s kind of wrap this up.

Simplicity in Focus

(34:24):

Navigating the holidays after bariatric surgery can be overwhelming in our thoughts, but truly it’s not. It can be so simple to just focus on a few key areas of one being mindful. Be present. Enjoy the food that you have. Don’t get too crazy on the alcohol. Make sure you’re protecting your gut by the protein foods. The polyphenols, the antioxidants, the phytonutrients, and just really supporting a healthy gut. Make sure you’re stabilizing your blood sugar at all your meals. So you have less opportunity for the spikes and. Valleys that can come because you’re not consuming enough protein or fiber or fat with your meals. And then be smart. Move your body. Try to keep active during this time. Keep your hydration in, check plan ahead. Listen to your body and seek support and find a buddy that you can be vulnerable

Conclusion

(35:36):

With to do the holiday season this last month of December. So I hope you guys have enjoyed this and hopefully. You’ve gotten some new tips to think about for implementing for the month of December. And excited to help any of you who are looking for someone to help give you that accountability and. Maybe dial in certain areas that you are struggling with to kind of help keep your weight in. Check during the holidays and keep that gut microbiome healthy and. No issues with gut integrity or shifting of your gut bacteria in a negative way. So I hope you guys had a fabulous. Thanksgiving and I hope that your December is just as awesome and reach out if you need anything. And you guys have a great week and we’ll see you next time. Bye-Bye.
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