It’s around this time that I often start to feel a bit jaded with all the treats, the heavy food, and the endless sweets! So if you’re anything like me, I’m popping up to help you put back a wee bit of balance.
I’m not particularly sweet-toothed, though don’t get me wrong, I like a treat. Often for me, it’s that I’ve gone to far with the cheese and biscuits by this point!
In any case, I know I’ve overdone it if I start to feel a bit sluggish, and rogue heartburn begins to creep in. If that’s going on for you, the good news is that it’s not hard to get back to balance and to enjoying occasional treats again.
The quickest and easiest way to reset things is through herbal infusions. Anything with a slightly bitter flavour will support your digestion to deal with heavy meals and ease the sluggish feeling. This is because they plug the bitter taste receptors in your tongue and prompt a cascade of digestive enzymes. There is a reason most aperitifs are bitter in flavour!
Dandelion, chicory, or burdock root are excellent for this and can be found either as a coffee substitute or in some herbal blends. If you’ve overdone it and are feeling bloated, reach for fennel, peppermint or ginger to ease that waistband-too-tight feeling.
And if heartburn has reared its ugly head, a wonderful solution for that is marshmallow root (or leaf will do). There are a couple of herbal tea blends that include it and they taste really lovely and comforting too.
Hopefully, these quick fixes will have you back on the cheeseboard in no time. There’s time to address all that in the coming weeks!