Many of us have been waiting all year long to set up the grill with food like hot links, burgers and hot dogs.
Although delicious, most of the traditional entrees and side dishes served at summer parties cause our gastrointestinal system to suffer from painful “barbeque blues”, including stomach aches, gas, bloating, belching, and constipation.
Here are 4 tips for a trouble-free tummy during the summer months:
The brain receives a signal to supply digestive enzymes for whatever food type you ingest.
If you start to chew a second and third type of food too early, the signal to produce new enzymes won’t be processed as quickly and the new foods will not be properly digested, causing bloating, gas, indigestion, and stomach pain.
Not to mention, you won’t get the energy from the food you’re eating because the body will now have to exert itself to get rid of the toxins that are forming from these heavy foods.
Chew each bite slowly, a dozen or more times before swallowing, to trigger the proper enzymes and aid absorption. Side benefit: You’ll feel full quicker and won’t have to eat as much food.
RELATED: Summer BBQ: Healthy and Delicious Recipes
One misstep most people take is eating their steak or ribs along with a baked potato or a potato salad. Combining heavy starches with weighty proteins can wreak havoc on the digestive system if you’re not cognizant about how to eat them.
Eat fatty meats such as steaks, burgers, or hot dogs first and slowly. You can have some of the starchy options to follow.
Once this is eaten, after a few minutes, have some potatoes.
If you consume heavy sugar or fruit on top of meat or carbohydrate, the fruits and sugars will begin to
ferment because they wouldn’t be properly broken down, and that causes a lot of gas.
If your body is under physical or emotional stress or discomfort, it will shut down enzyme production and digestive activity, so any food you eat will not be digested and will ferment in your digestive tract.
Don’t eat after baking in the sun; cool down in the pool first.
RELATED: 5 Heart-Healthy Fruits To Include At All Your Summer BBQs
Garnishes like ginger, hot peppers and lemon are super for digestion. The peppers, in particular, are a stimulant to the digestive tract and help the body secrete more hydrochloric acid.
And as we all know, a leafy green always helps to offset heavier foods and moves bowels.
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
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