How to keep your digestion healthy during the wedding season

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Who doesnt love the wedding season and all the beautiful ensembles, gala festivities and lively cheer that it comes with? But amidst all this, one must not forget that the indulgent food and drinks during this time can seriously affect digestion. However few easy ways can protect your body and its digestive functions.

Mehar Rajput, Nutritionist at FITPASS and Sonia Narang, Nutritionist and Wellness Expert at Oriflame India doles out easy tips to stay in top form, look your best while being the most enthusiastic baraati or bridesmaid.

• Snack on fresh fruits and salads: You needn't be a diet snob on weddings and act like someone who simply can't eat any of the food on offer. But what you can do is scout out the healthiest options and snack on them first. Most weddings have a salad bar or a fresh fruit counter these days. First fill your plate up with these so that you're almost full before you hit the greasier stuff. You can obviously enjoy the latter as well but you'll feel like eating it in limited quantities when you have had your dose of the fibre rich fruits and salads already!

• Keep your body well hydrated: This is the easiest way to keep your digestion healthy during shaadi season. Drinking at least 2-3 litres of water every day will keep you feeling and looking your best. If you're having a couple of alcoholic drinks at your friend's sangeet, make sure that you have a glass of water or two after each beverage.

  You can also add sliced lemons, cucumbers, ginger and chopped mint leaves to your bottle of water and sip it regularly for enhanced cleansing. This will not only help to flush out toxins but will help in digestion as well. Coconut water, jeera water, cinnamon water, fennel water, coriander water are the other varieties you can experiment with to cleanse your body naturally and get healthier looking skin.

• Improve digestion with herbal teas: If you're looking for a perfect drink to aid weight loss and improve digestion, then sip herbal teas at least 2-3 times a day. Healthy options such as green tea, chamomile tea and peppermint tea are caffeine free and therefore don't dehydrate your system. They help to boost metabolism, aid weight loss and keep you in shape. While peppermint tea effectively aids digestion, helps relieve stomach gas and bloating, green tea reduces intestinal gas, digestive disorders and regulates the digestive system.

• Avoid bloating with the right foods: A bloated abdomen can make you feel uncomfortable and conscious, especially when you're wearing that slinky blouse with your new lehenga. The best way to avoid abdominal bloating and gas is to avoid eating certain raw vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and cabbage.

  Another trick to reduce bloating is to control your sodium intake. Stay away from processed foods as they are high on sodium. Having potassium-rich foods such as bananas and nut butter for breakfast can help to counteract the ill-effects of sodium and reduce bloating.

• Munch on healthy nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pistachio, flax seeds, chia seeds and sunflower seeds are packed with nutrients, minerals and healthy fats. They provide energy which we all certainly need to cope with the wedding celebrations and even boost overall nutrient intake. Add these nuts/seeds in your meals to enhance the taste and improve your health.

• Keep your gut healthy with probiotics: Often referred to as good bacteria, probiotics aid digestion and guard you from feeling bloated after heavy meals that you may end up eating at weddings. After all, who can resist an aromatic plate of butter chicken with a sinful garlic naan? Fermented foods like kefir, yogurt kimchi and kombucha offer a healthy dose of probiotics that help to curb cravings, keep your gut healthy and are good for the skin as well.The good bacteria present in these foods break down lactose and other sugars in the food, making digestion easier.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)