How to Enjoy the Social Season Without Upsetting Your Gut

How to Enjoy the Social Season Without Upsetting Your Gut

As the year winds down, our calendars fill with social gatherings, family feasts, and end-of-year celebrations. It’s a wonderful time—but it can also challenge your gut health. More alcohol, more sugar, more stress, and less routine can quickly throw your digestive system out of balance.

Taking a few simple steps to support your gut now can help you enjoy the celebrations and start the new year feeling vibrant and well.  After all, as Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Here are eight simple, effective ways to keep your gut happy and healthy throughout the festive season.

1. Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Refined sugar, excess salt, processed oils, wheat, and packaged foods can all trigger inflammation and suppress your immune system—creating an environment where pathogenic bacteria thrive. 

Gluten, particularly its protein component gliadin, has also been shown to increase gut permeability (known as “leaky gut”), leading to further digestive issues.

Tip: Swap the pastries and processed snacks on the festive platter for real, whole-food options like these:

2. Hydration Matters!

Hydration is Queen when it comes to gut health. Your digestive system relies on adequate water to keep things moving, flush out toxins, and support nutrient absorption. Dehydration can lead to constipation, sluggish digestion, and a disrupted gut microbiome.

Aim for 2–3 litres of fluids daily. Try:

  • Warm lemon water on waking
  • Herbal teas or coconut water
  • Water with a pinch of Changing Habits Seaweed Salt
  • Fresh, water-rich fruits like watermelon, oranges, and grapes
  • Nourishing broths or veggie-based juices

3. Embrace Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are packed with probiotics ie: the beneficial bacteria that support gut balance and digestion. They also offer antimicrobial and antifungal properties, plus a wealth of vitamins (B group, K2, biotin, folate) and minerals to nourish your body.

Add these ferments into your holiday habits:

4. Celebrate with Healthy Fats

Healthy fats play a vital role in reducing inflammation, soothing the gut lining, and supporting nutrient absorption. During the festive season, be mindful to include plenty of good-quality fats.

Great sources include:
Oily fish, organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, tallow, duck fat, Inca Inchi Powder 500g | Changing Habits and cold-pressed nut and seed oils such as olive, walnut, almond, and macadamia.

*Learn more in our blog: Why it’s Important to Eat Good Fats | Changing Habits

5. Get Your Daily Dose of Gelatin

Gelatin helps heal and strengthen the gut lining, improves nutrient absorption, and reduces inflammation. It’s also wonderful for your skin, hair, and nails!

Try adding Changing Habits Gelatin to your morning coffee or create gut-friendly treats for your next festive gathering:

6. Go Green!

Leafy greens are nutrient-dense powerhouses packed with vitamins A, C, K, and B, supporting energy, detoxification, and digestion. Aim for at least two cups of raw greens per day and if that feels like a stretch, a green powder can help fill the gap.

Our Supreme Green Blend combines barley grass, chlorella, spirulina, broccoli sprout, kelp, and green stevia—all organically grown and brimming with nutrients to support vibrant health this festive season.

7. Mighty Minerals

Minerals are the foundation of your body’s function—essential for energy, focus, thyroid health, and stress resilience. Unfortunately, modern soils are depleted, meaning our diets often fall short.

Common deficiencies include iodine, magnesium, and zinc, which can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and low immunity. During times of stress and celebration, your body needs even more.

Adding a natural mineral supplement like Changing Habits Mineral Boost can help keep your levels balanced and your energy high.

A Gut-Happy Holiday

Supporting your gut health doesn’t mean missing out on the fun—it simply means nourishing your body as you celebrate. With a few smart swaps, plenty of hydration, and mindful indulgence, you’ll glide through the festive season feeling light, energised, and ready to welcome the new year in good health.

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