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It’s not rude to burp, it’s good for you
Six ways to navigate festive dining without losing face at the dinner table
Burping is widely regarded as the ultimate in bad manners at the Christmas dinner table. In fact, burping serves an essential purpose – expelling air that has built up in the upper part of the stomach. But a small number of people actually find it impossible to release gas trapped in the digestive tract, making the festive season an especially painful time of year.
Known medically as retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction or “no burp syndrome”, the condition can lead to loud gurgling noises along with excessive flatulence after eating and drinking. The best form of treatment is thought to be injecting Botox into the throat muscles.
For the rest of us, here are six slightly more conventional steps which can help avoid discomfort as well as any indigestion-related faux pas at Christmas.
Graze rather than feast
The typical festive convention is to gorge ourselves with a handful of supersized meals. Many of us may have experienced a Christmas Day where we eat relatively little before indulging in one enormous lunch midway through the afternoon.
According to Dr Megan Rossi, a nutrition researcher at King’s College London who posts on Instagram as @theguthealthdoctor, it is healthier to consume multiple smaller-sized meals throughout the day rather than a single giant feast.
“That can overwhelm our digestive capacity leading to loose stools and bloating,” she says. “You can still have the same amount of food, but just break it up because there are digestive limits particularly on things like fructose or fruit sugar.”
Avoid Buck’s fizz on an empty stomach
When it comes to Christmas Day, it might be tempting to get stuck straight into the bubbly. But your GP would rather that you at least had a small amount of food beforehand.
“Ideally, you don’t want to be having alcohol too early in the morning on an empty stomach,” says Dr Semiya Aziz, an NHS and private GP, who is the founder of Say GP. “Hydrate beforehand with water and eat a light meal to avoid the intense effects of alcohol. Alcohol relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, increasing the chances of reflux and excess acid.”
Christmas dining
Mind what you drink as you eat during festive celebrations CREDIT: BBC
No food for three hours before bed
Christmas is a time of indulgence, but if you can, try to avoid those turkey sandwiches before bed, especially if you’re prone to digestive issues.
“We know that as we go to sleep, our digestion slows down,” says Rossi. “So the food can get stuck in your gut for longer, and that could lead to greater pressure that builds up and pops open the trapdoor that connects the gut and stomach with the oesophagus, and that can lead to things like reflux in the evening.”
Don’t eat too quickly
When you’re eating Christmas lunch, try and make your food last for a little longer rather than devouring it swiftly. Studies have actually found that taking more time to chew your food can improve the rate at which you absorb the nutrients, which reduces the risk of digestive problems.
“I’ve read that you should aim to chew at least 32 times,” says Aziz. “I would say that’s a bit far-fetched but having these whole lumps [of food] is not beneficial. Chewing enough so you’ve got a good mushy texture before you swallow, that would help digestion too.”
Man burping
The festive season can be an especially painful time of year for some people CREDIT: Moment/Getty
Take antacids
If you do regularly suffer from indigestion or you know that certain common Christmas foods tend to irritate your stomach, Aziz recommends getting an over-the-counter antacid. These are medicines which come in liquid or tablet form that help neutralize the acid in the stomach to relieve symptoms such as heartburn.
“There are products such as Gaviscon or Rennie which you don’t need a prescription for, and you can have first thing in the morning to possibly help lighten any digestive issues,” says Aziz.
Eat something plain
Finally, another pragmatic option is simply to give your body a slight break from all the spice and fizz and consume one very plain meal each day.
“During the Christmas period, you’re having all the herbs and spices, lots of fats, fried up foods, and we wouldn’t normally have all of that,” says Aziz. “We’ve got natural acid in our stomach anyway, and it’s intensifying it. So eating something sensible, not too rich or exotic, a quite bland or regular meal, that would help your digestive process.”
注释：
festive: adj
表示"节日的；喜庆的"，means "offering fun and gaiety"，如：Christmas is often called the festive season. 圣诞节常被称作欢乐的时节。
retrograde: v
表示"逆行"，means "move back"，如：It is cowardly of him to retrograde in face of danger. 他在面临危险时退却是很懦弱的。
cricopharyngeal: adj
表示"[医] 环咽的"，如：The cricopharyngeal muscle, a component of the inferior constrictor, forms the muscular orifices of the esophagus. 环状咽肌是肌下缩肌中的一个组织，形成食道的肌肉。
gurgle: v
表示"作咯咯声"，means "flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise"，如：He let the coke gurgle down his throat. 他咕噜咕噜地喝起了可乐。
flatulence: n
表示" 肠胃气胀"，如：One symptom of chronic gastritis is flatulence. 慢性胃炎的症状之一就是气胀。
faux: adj
表示" 假的；人造的"，faux pas 表示"失礼；失言"，如：Eating in public is also considered a faux pas. 在公共场合里吃东西也被认为是失礼的。
gorge: v
表示"狼吞虎咽"，means "overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself;"，如：The fat man gorged himself constantly with enormous desserts. 那个胖子经常大吃甜食。
stool: n; v
表示"大便; 凳子"，means "have a bowel movement; a simple seat without a back or arms"，如：He goes to stool twice a day. 他每天大便两次。He wreathed his legs about the stool. 他用双腿围住凳子。
fructose: n
表示" 果糖"，means "a simple sugar found in honey and in many ripe fruits"，如：But a diet loaded with fat and fructose hampers the regulation of these hormones. 不过含有过量脂肪和果糖的食物影响了这些荷尔蒙的调节功能。
oesophageal sphincter: n
oesophageal 表示"[解]食管的", sphincter表示“ 括约肌 ”，oesophageal sphincter 表示"食管括约肌"，means ""，如：Foods : Chocolate, peppermint, coffee, fruit juices and alcohol prevent the oesophageal sphincter from working properly. 食物：巧克力，薄荷油，咖啡，果汁和酒都能妨碍食管括约肌正常工作。
fizz：n; v
表示"气泡；起泡饮料"，means "an effervescent beverage (usually alcoholic); become bubbly or frothy or foaming"，如：This lemonade has lost its fizz. 这柠檬汽水跑气了。The match fizzed.; 火柴发出嘶嘶声。
中文简要说明：
吃完美食打几个饱嗝不是坏事，这是胃上半部排出气体的重要机制。然而约会、聚餐场合当众打嗝颇为失礼，响嗝尤其尴尬，有嗝打不出来更是痛苦万分。英国《电讯报》22日报导，少数人罹患逆行环咽功能障碍（R-CPD）而无法打嗝，最佳治疗方式是在喉咙肌肉施打肉毒杆菌，一般人在日常生活中可用6个方法减少或预防胃部聚积气体、消化不良的情况，进而避免打嗝不顺或在餐桌上出现「嗝嗝作响」的窘态。
一、少量多餐、避免大餐：年终三节聚餐场合很多，大吃一顿的机率大增。伦敦国王学院（King’s College London）营养研究员罗西（Megan Rossi）说，吃大餐对消化系统而言是难以承受的压力，容易引起胀气或腹泻，一顿大餐各种美食不妨分几次想用，全天多吃几次分量较少的餐点，不会让消化道分解负荷量超载，尤其餐点之中的果糖只能靠肝脏代谢，消化系统「无福消受」。
二、避免空腹饮酒：在英国国民保健署体系行医、同时也是私人家医科医师阿齐兹（Semiya Aziz）说，饮酒之前应该先喝一些水，吃点儿清淡的食物，以避免受到酒精的强烈影响。酒精会让食道下括约肌（lower esophageal sphincter，LES）放松，增加胃食道逆流的机率。 打嗝是人体正常机制，有些不良的饮食习惯会导致打嗝问题严重。
三、睡前3小时禁食：年节期间，很多人大餐、零食从早吃到晚。罗西说，入睡之后，消化速度减慢，睡前摄取的饮食在肠胃道停留的时间会更久，这会导致更多压力蓄积，甚至让连接胃部与食道的贲门打开，引发夜间胃食道逆流。睡前3小时以内尽量避免摄食，平时消化能力较差的人更该贯彻这一点。
四、进食速度别太快：已有研究显示，增加咀嚼食物的时间能提高营养素吸收的速度，降低消化不良的风险。阿齐兹说，曾有人建议每口食物咀嚼至少32下，这个次数颇让人难以置信，但把食物囫囵吞下肚并无好处，充分咀嚼食物到糊状再吞咽，有助消化吸收。
五、服用制酸剂：若是经常消化不良，或者事先知道餐点包含某些刺激肠胃的料理或食材，阿齐兹建议备妥开架式贩卖的制酸剂，液态或锭剂均可，按照仿单指示服用，有助中和胃酸、缓解胃灼热症状。
六、每天一餐清淡饮食：阿齐兹说，这是很务实的做法，让消化器官稍微喘口气，远离各式香料、刺激性强、重口味、油炸类型的餐点，每天吃一餐粗茶淡饭或选择相对普通的菜色，有助消化。
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