How to survive big, heavy meals over the holidays

Sometimes getting together over the holidays means eating things we wouldn’t normally consume, or having to let some of our supportive habits fall by the wayside for a bit. Hey, we practice tantra around here, so we aren’t judging. Everything is perfect and divine and helpful right as it is. I would just like to empower you that if you would like to design a different experience for yourself this holiday season, you will have the knowledge to make a choice. If you want to have heavy, oily, big meals- that’s totally fine. Truly! But if you would rather not feel like that meal is a rock in your stomach, wake up puffy and brain foggy the next day, here’s what you might try:

1. Spice it up!

To help boost your digestive fire before a big meal:

Make a tea of equal parts cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. Steep ½ -1 teaspoon of the mixture in hot water for 5 minutes. Let cool and drink up!

Or, slice a piece of raw ginger root (dime sized) and cover with lime juice and a pinch of rock salt. Have a slice or two 20-30 mins before a meal.

Both of these easy DIY recipes are like pouring a little bit of gasoline on your digestive fire. That’s a good thing! They are preparing your body to receive nutrients and make that meal easier to break down and assimilate in your body. It’s like putting the old saying “cooking with fire” to good use. You want your digestive fire (agni) to burn hot, clear, and efficiently.  Also, if possible, cook with digestive spices like cumin, coriander, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric,mustard seed, fenugreek, or black pepper.

2. If possible, eat earlier

Our digestive fire is strongest in the middle of the day, from 10am-2pm. Our digestive capacity mirrors the movement of the sun in the sky, so as the sun sets, so does our ability to digest. Although a holiday lunch isn't always an option, you'll do your digestion a favor to avoid eating a huge heavy meal at 9 or 10pm. Can’t change the meal time? Eat warm, cooked, foods only, and have a lighter meal. Lean on the CCF tea and ginger appetizer from above!

3. Keep a mindful eye on overeating

I know this practice is so normalized at holiday gatherings, but your digestive fire prefers not to be overwhelmed. If you use the analogy of agni like a campfire, you wouldn’t throw 10 or 12 big huge logs on the campfire all at once, right? Of course those numbers are arbitrary, but for the sake of the analogy, you don’t want to give your fire more than it can handle. What results is black, charry, halfway burned logs left on the campfire the next morning. In Ayurveda, that’s called ama, and we want to prevent this toxic sludge from building up in the body whenever possible. As with all things, show yourself grace and get curious if things don’t go according to plan. Ayurveda is not about a strict set of rules, it’s just knowledge and wisdom that you get to choose how and when to employ. I of course know that folks with a history of eating disorders may have conflicting feelings surrounding portions, and so I hope to emphasize the autonomy of the Ayurvedic system here. There isn’t a rigid right or wrong of what will work for everyone, and you certainly don’t have to follow every single tenant of Ayurveda to experience amazing health. Trust your body- it knows best.

4. Eat with reverence

When we consume food, we are consuming the atoms that will be turned into the cells in our bodies, so energy matters. We are taking in the building blocks that make up us. So even though we may think we are just ingesting food, we are also taking in the energy around us while we eat. So for example, if you are fuming at your mother-in-law while you eat that pumpkin pie, you're consuming that anger into your cells, too. If family matters get tense, stop eating and wait until you are in a more positive state of mind. There's no reason you have to eat when emotions are high. The food will still be there when you return.
On the flip side, can you cultivate gratitude, connection, joy, or warmth as you share a meal? What sort of energy would you like to see imbibed in your cells? Making you can lead the group you are eating with in a moment of slowing down, taking a breath, and sinking in to the moment before sinking your teeth into the meal in front of you. 

5. Fasting can be your friend

Even if you have the best intentions, but you still end up eating late, or more than you wanted to, my best tip to recover and get back on track is too fast. What does this look like? Don't eat until you're hungry again! Let your body guide you and trust your hunger, even if that means skipping breakfast the day after a big meal. Your body’s hunger is its way of communicating it is ready to receive nutrients. So you don’t have to force yourself to eat when you are not hungry just because it is the appropriate time of day to do so.

I hope everyone feels connected to people they love and to the divine this holiday season. I’m looking forward to a big, powerful, impactful year with VBY in 2025!