When you look for glimmer in the Filipino home this Christmas, you don’t only look at the decor. You also turn to the hapagkainan—the fizzy beverages as well as sumptuous food, dripping with oils and exploding with flavors.
In fact, Filipino households can dispense with the Yuletide props when times are rough, but would never, ever skip the feast. Given the value of a holiday get-together, it also becomes obligatory for us to eat or drink, sometimes excessively. When one overshoots his or her limit, here are some simple measures that could provide relief.
Greasy food
You can keep the oils from staying inside your system by drinking warm water, especially after the meal. If you want to step it up a notch, try herbal drinks like a cup of green tea, known to reduce fat absorption and storage. Conversely, you must avoid cold food and drinks, so ponder on skipping the drinking sessions or rethink your pulutan with healthier alternatives like tofu. Try to digest more garlic, which can cleanse the liver of fat and harmful toxins.
Green tea is known to reduce fat absorption and storage.
Sugar rush
Another formidable enemy during the season is sugar, which can build up with carbs and sweets. If you have a mango tree nearby, pluck a few leaves, boil and strain. Drink the tea on an empty stomach. Bitter gourd has compounds charatin and momordicin, which help lower blood glucose. Drink its juice on an empty stomach early in the morning. If you aren’t a fan of the taste, just eat a dish prepared with bitter gourd. If you are strongly averse to that remedy, you may also drink sweetened aloe juice or salabat twice a day.
Baking soda, mixed with water, is a potent remedy for various gastrointestinal issues.
Acid reflux
Trust the power of baking soda. Mix it with water and chug. The solution can reduce acidity in your tummy. If you don’t like how it tastes, a very accessible alternative is a probiotic drink. Over the past years, options have flooded the market. It’s a potent remedy for various gastrointestinal issues, including heartburn, diarrhea and bloating.
Ginger tea may help you with those holiday hangovers.
Hangover
If you have an awful morning-after feeling, you can perk yourself up with a caffeinated drink and a big breakfast. If sleeping it off is not an option and you have to endure the rest of the day awake, drink water aplenty. For extra help, target the symptoms one by one. For the dizziness, drink ginger tea. For “hangxiety,” treat yourself to a calming chamomile tea. Ultimately, to flush out the alcohol, drink apple cider vinegar diluted in warm water.
Medicard’s MACE App
MACE App
To avoid complications during the merrymaking, set thresholds—especially with what you can take in and, if you go overboard, the pains you can weather. When you breach the limits you set or cannot bear the aches, do not be afraid to seek medical advice. An easy way to do this would be by installing Medicard Philippines’ MACE App on your mobile device. This platform can help you access the services of health professionals from anywhere, a useful tool when you are at home with family for Christmas.