As we near the second half of October and head into the cozier portion of the year, it is natural to start to crave those rich and decadent desserts late at night. Many people crave sugar in the fall and winter months because of the decrease in sunlight hours. The colder temperatures and earlier nights call for comfort meals sometimes consisting of sugar-packed foods.
While we always support a healthy balance of dedication to a well-balanced diet and indulging in sweet treats, we want to help you avoid the potential digestive complications that can arise from consuming high-sugar foods. From taking the right supplements to incorporating healthy habits into your routine, you can minimize the chances of the sugar affecting you negatively. Let’s dive into some of these vitamins and habits!
Supplements and Vitamins : Your Best Friends After Indulging in Sweet Treats
While indulging in sweet treats is one of life’s most special experiences, there is a chance we will experience bloating, an upset stomach, and excess fatigue as a response. Not to worry, we can utilize the following supplements and vitamins to help you through these potential symptoms!
- Probiotics: A probiotic for bloating is a pillar to a successful digestive health routine! The beneficial bacteria will help to bolster your gut microbiome and reduce inflammation/bloating caused by the sugar. Excessive sugar intake can create an imbalance in the gut, which is why a probiotic such as Probiotic Renu is so essential.
- Digestive Enzyme Supplement: A digestive enzyme supplement such as Sexy & Slim was specifically curated with your restoration and protection in mind. Sexy & Slim contains both lactase and amylase — two enzymes that work to help your body break down carbohydrates. We curated Sexy & Slim to be taken at night so that you can head to bed post-sugar craving at peace knowing your gut will be protected and your body will have the support it needs to digest the dessert more efficiently.
- B-Complex Vitamins: An intake of sugar generally triggers a boost of energy followed by a crash later on. The sugar crash can leave you feeling sluggish and extremely fatigued which can be very inconvenient. In order to help your body bounce back from a sugar crash, consider adding a b-complex vitamin into your routine. B vitamins help to regulate your energy levels.
- Ginger Tea or Supplement: If you have indulged in a sweet treat and find yourself already experiencing unpleasant digestive symptoms, be sure to add ginger into your routine! Ginger can help calm an upset stomach and reduce inflammation. It can be found in many forms including a supplement form and tea!
The Power of a Comfort Meal and Some Healthy Options
In the world of nutrition and health, it can be easy to solely focus on what we should be doing rather than learning how best to align healthy values with realistic indulgences and balance. In addition to taking beneficial and supportive supplements, we can work to alter our mindset to one that is more open and less restrictive to foster a healthy relationship with food.
Comfort meals tend to be associated with higher calorie foods that are high in processed sugars and fats, but that does not mean we must stay in this reality. Let’s transform the ideas behind comfort foods, and work to understand their potential power to our diet!
Comfort foods are more than their calorie levels, they are often associated with happy memories and can be emotionally impactful. This positive connection to comfort food can mean less stress and a boost of endorphins. However, it is the physical reaction from certain ingredients found in comfort food that can be damaging. We have compiled some recommendations as to how to make comfort foods both a happy experience for us and beneficial to our gut.
- Spice up the Originals: Give your favorite comfort foods a healthy makeover. Use whole grains instead of refined ones, incorporate more vegetables, and opt for lean proteins to make them more well rounded meals!
- Focus on Gut-Friendly Ingredients: Choose ingredients that are both comforting and good for your digestive system. For example, a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup would benefit from bone broth as its main ingredient!
- Be Mindful of Portion Size: Enjoy your comfort food, but be mindful of portion sizes. This way, you can enjoy the flavor without overwhelming your digestive system.
How to Elevate Your Halloween Snacks for Better Health
Sweet treats are an integral part to the Halloween experience, but you might be wondering how you can participate in the fun without the added digestive stress. Altering your Halloween sweets is easier than you might think!
- Use Natural Sweeteners - One of the most harmful ingredients in sweets is the processed sugars that many companies use in their products. Instead, consider making your own sweet treats this year and use sugar-boosting ingredients that are all-natural and not processed. For example, switching out refined sugars with raw honey or pure maple syrup can really help to minimize your chances of experiencing digestive issues.
- Boost The Nutrients in The Treats - The benefit of making your own sweet treats is that you can truly add any ingredient you would like. There are many gut-supporting ingredients out there that add so many nutrients to meals but do not take away from the true premise of the snack. For example, adding chia seeds to your pastry of choice can elevate its fiber content with little to no added stress.
- Utilize Dark Chocolate - Chocolate is one of the most popular sweet treat options out there; and yet, many people are unaware of the benefits that dark chocolate has in specific. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids which helps to reduce inflammation and flavonols which can help with brain function!
- Tap Into the Power of Fruit - Fruit is nature’s candy and we often overlook it when deciding on our sweet treat for the evening. Using fruit as the base of your dessert is a great way to make a healthy alternative to many sweets out there. For example, if you are someone who enjoys ice cream bars or a cold dessert, you might find that frozen dark-chocolate covered bananas are right up your alley!
Taking care of your health does not mean that we have to eliminate the foods that make us happy! Instead, we just need to dedicate time to learning how to elevate our comfort meals!