A Heartburn Free Christmas

"I can't believe how quickly it has come around again!"

Are you familiar with that time-honoured phrase? Of course, it's the Christmas holiday we're talking about. In this article, we're going to remind you of the pleasures and potential pitfalls of eating, drinking and generally making merry during the Christmas season.

The Office Party

Regardless of whether you love them or hate them, Christmas parties, like the infamous "Office Party", tend to be plentiful during the holiday season. There is always lots of party food and special Christmas treats to tempt you on these occasions. However, don't forget, many of these foods and drinks can bring on stomach acid related conditions like heartburn or indigestion.

Food related heartburn and indigestion triggers associated with Christmas time can include:

• Hors d'oeuvres - They’re very tasty and tempting but very often consist of typical heartburn and indigestion triggers. They tend to have quite fatty ingredients, such as bacon, sausages, pâtéand pastry-filled delights like vol-au-vents
• Mince pies, shortbread biscuits and cake - Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them. However, they can contain a high fat and sugar content and might just be the reason for your heartburn or indigestion which you really don't need at a party.
• Champagne and cocktails - Alcohol can also be a cause for heartburn and indigestion. What many people may not realise, though, is that carbonated drinks are too. A mixture of alcohol and bubbles could set off your heartburn!
• Over-eating - Having a lot of food on offer means that your stomach could easily get very full, very quickly. This physically causes a risk of heartburn and indigestion. That's because the volume of food in your stomach could stimulate a lot of acid to be produced. Since your stomach is so full, the chances of the acid contents pushing back up into your oesophagus (food pipe) can be increased. This risks the acid coming into contact with the sensitive oesophageal lining and causing heartburn.
  
  Having a very full stomach can also increase the risk of indigestion, because sometimes the acid can begin to break down the stomach lining and cause pain. The volume of food can also stretch the stomach lining and again this may cause you to experience the pain of indigestion.

Remember, heartburn and indigestion causes may not only concern Christmas food types, but food and drink volume too.

Why party eating patterns cause heartburn and indigestion

Festive parties can often go on until late at night, or even into the small hours of the morning, so there is temptation to drink and eat right up until you finally decide it’s bedtime. This may not only induce a hangover but can also cause heartburn or indigestion during the night or in the morning. Why?

Snacking throughout a party can mean you're continually exposing yourself to heartburn and indigestion triggers. If you go to bed without having allowed the delicious food you've eaten to digest, it's yet another opportunity for these conditions to occur. Imagine what's happening in your stomach once you've quit the party and have gone to bed. Digestion simply continues - not only could you have a big volume of food in your stomach, as we've already discussed, but now you're lying down. In this position the acidic contents of your stomach can more easily move up into your oesophagus and affect its sensitive lining, potentially causing pain which could wake you during the night.

Christmas Dinners

Christmas dinners (although strictly speaking they're usually lunches) can be irresistible and you could end up having several before even getting to Christmas day!

The Main Event

So here we are - Christmas day. The smells around the house and Christmas treats, like bowls of nuts and sweets, are tempting throughout the morning. Overindulging can be a cause of heartburn so bear it in mind before you tuck in to the snacks before your Christmas dinner. Anyway, you don't want to spoil the main event by eating too much chocolate beforehand, do you?

Mulled Wine, Champagne, Cocktails

Many people have a drink on Christmas morning, amidst the nuts and chocolates on offer. However, should you be susceptible to heartburn and / or indigestion, be mindful of the spicy Christmas favourite; mulled wine. You are unlikely to want to trigger heartburn or indigestion at any time, and especially not before the main meal. Drinking too much alcohol before dinner may not just fill you up, but can also be a potential heartburn trigger.

The impact of eating less familiar foods on digestion

If you're faced with trying something new or unfamiliar during the Christmas season, ask what's in it first. As a guide, you might try to be wary of pastry-based, fatty, meaty and sugary new foods. There are often a lot of different types of meat on offer in the festive season, for example game meats like partridge and goose are popular. If you haven't sampled these before, there may be no telling whether they are a trigger for you or not.

Avoiding and treating heartburn and indigestion

Avoiding heartburn and indigestion at Christmas can prove particularly tricky. Here is a brief guide to consider ahead of the party time of the year:

• If you know what could trigger your heartburn or indigestion, simply avoid it. However much you might like something that's a known trigger for you, ask yourself if it's worth ruining the party for.
• Try not to over-eat. Small portions that are eaten slowly, allow for better digestion.
• Think about whether you need all four courses every time you eat out. Try to be selective. If the cheese course is a "must" consider missing out on dessert, for example. Alternatively, eat small portions if you really do want to sample every course.
• An obvious one, but avoid drinking too much. Drinks such as Christmas ales are available in abundance; they're not only alcoholic, but they can also fill you up easily.
• If you do choose to drink alcohol, try and remember to drink plenty of water between alcoholic drinks.
• Be careful about the amount of chocolate and sweets you eat. All these little things can add up to causing heartburn or indigestion, especially if you know you'll be having a Christmas lunch or if you're going to a party later on in the day.
• If you feel you really must join in the after dinner toasts by drinking a glass of fizz, but you know it may cause you problems, why not just make it a half glass?

Treating heartburn and indigestion

Okay, perhaps you've overindulged a little. You had second helpings of the Christmas pudding, or eaten something new and perhaps you're beginning to feel the symptoms of heartburn or indigestion coming on. The best advice is, of course, to stop and take it easy for a while. Sometimes symptoms may subside quickly. If not, Gaviscon Extra can help you.

Gaviscon Extra is effective for both heartburn and indigestion. Did you know that 73% of people suffer them both interchangeably[1]? Gaviscon contains two different types of antacids to neutralise stomach acid. It also contains a substance called sodium alginate, known to form a raft in the stomach. 

When Gaviscon gets into your stomach and comes into contact with acid, the alginate content begins to form a raft, or layer, on the top of your stomach contents. The physical barrier it forms helps to keep your stomach contents (including the acid) in place in your stomach where they should be. It helps to stop the contents rising up into your oesophagus where the acid could otherwise cause heartburn.

To see an animated video of how this raft forms and works, click here.

A full range of Gaviscon products are available from pharmacies. You can find details of all the products by following this Link.

Enjoy your Christmas season because it does, as they say "come but once a year." Unfortunately, for some, heartburn and indigestion may be a much more regular occurrence, so try not to let it be you. Take heed of our Yuletide advice and get the most out of this period.

 

Wishing you a very merry, heartburn and indigestion-free Christmas!

 

Sources consulted:

All information presented is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. Gaviscon Exrta Oral Suspension and Gaviscon Extra Chewable Tablets contain sodium alginate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, calcium carbonate. Always read the label. If symptoms are severe or last more than 7 days, consult a doctor or pharmacist.