Foods for Indigestion

Foods for Indigestion
Thanksgiving dinner is loaded with all kinds of delicious and fattening dishes. It's hard not to pile your plate with every dish being served and then go back for seconds. After all...it's Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, the consequences of gluttonous eating can range from acid regurgitation, belching, vomiting, abdominal fullness and distention, gas, pain, irregular bowel movements, and fluctuating stools. In Chinese medicine, we call this "Stomach Food Retention". Here are some pointers to help ease digestion:

1. Drink regular intervals of room temperature water. This will help to flush stagnant food out of your intestines. A cup of hot, herbal tea periodically  throughout the day will also help. Stay away from caffeinated and/or black teas. Add a little honey if you are constipated.

2. Eat small meals throughout the day

3. Do not combine too many food groups in one meal. Keep your meals real simple. Stick with fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Eat fruit alone and at room temperature. Apples are great for digestion.

4. Gently cooked and steamed vegetables are best. A simple broth soup is ideal (turkey and rice with carrots and potatoes). Rice is good for diarrhea.

5. Exercise and be active. Walking is a great way to move stagnant Qi. Get yourself to the gym or, even more fun, get yourself to an indoor mall. You don't have to spend any money, just enjoy the excitement of the Holiday season.

Recommended foods:

Vegetables
Alfalfa sprout
Bamboo shoot
Bell pepper
Bok choy (Make a simple stir-fry and add carrots, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, and ginger/garlic. Serve with rice.)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Daikon radish and seed
Fennel
Parsley
Potato
Rhubarb root
Seaweed

Fruits
Apple (great for digestion)
Banana
Grapefruit
Lemon (squeeze a wedge into your water)
Litchi fruit
Papaya
Pineapple (also great for digestion)
Plum

Grains and Proteins
Barley (Idea: mushroom barley soup)
Buckwheat
Chicken gizzard
Mung bean
Oat Rice

Miscellaneous
Aloe Vera
Anise
Barley sprouts
Garlic
Grapefruit peel
Hawthorn berry
Malt
Orange peel
Rice sprouts