Don’t Let Indigestion Get the Upper Hand This Thanksgiving!

It’s easy to overeat at Thanksgiving—especially when you’re a guest and you want to show your hosts how much you appreciate their delicious turkey…and stuffing…and sweet potatoes…and gravy…and pie…and—urp!—more pie. You get the picture. Next thing you know, you’re stuffed to the gills and suffering.

The problem is that eating a gargantuan meal all but guarantees a bout of indigestion because all that food in your stomach requires enormous amounts of digestive acids. So keep the portion sizes small, and then you can sample a little bit of everything.

Any time you overeat, a bad case of indigestion can ruin your day. But when it happens on Thanksgiving, right in the middle of a delicious feast, it’s time to give thanks for a bounty of down-home helpers like these:

• Good old water is one of the quickest, cheapest, and best remedies because it dilutes the burning acid. As soon as the indigestion starts up, slowly drink a couple of large glasses of water to ease the pain.

• Stand up at the first pangs of indigestion and let gravity help fight the feeling. You’ll feel better as soon as the acid drains back down into your stomach and settles where it’s supposed to be.

• When the telltale gnawing begins, loosen your belt a few notches, untuck your shirt, or undo a few buttons.

• Chew a stick of gum to increase the flow of saliva, which acts as a natural acid neutralizer in your tummy, and eases your gastric distress.

• If you’re still feeling uncomfortable at bedtime, raise the head of your bed a few inches by putting boards or sturdy blocks under the legs of the headboard.

Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving