Easy Ways to Live Well: Steph McGovern discusses bloating
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“With so many products and promotions on offer to shop from, it can be tempting to overindulge on these moreish sugar and dairy-filled goodies,” said Lujain Alhassan, nutritionist from Exante. But excessive Easter egg snacking can leave you sluggish and bloated, hampering your Bank Holiday weekend.
The expert’s advice comes as Exante’s survey reveals that almost 1,000 Britons believe that sluggishness is often linked to their food and drink choices.
And Easter is known for its delicious temptations. Ms Alhassan said: “It can be tempting to overindulge in chocolate at this time of year because of the myriad of new products and flavours that are always coming out in stores.”
All of these options can cause you to overstock on Easter treats, leaving you with unwanted souvenirs in the form of health problems later on.
The nutritionist shared that one of the best ways to combat “mindless snacking” is to “shop mindfully”.
She continued: “We often think there’s no harm in buying more treats than we need because we can decide when we want to eat them.
“But actually, having them there in our cupboards in the first place makes it more likely we’ll reach for them – even when we’re not hungry.”
This can be especially harmful as treating yourself to too many Easter eggs can have “negative effects” on your health.
Ms Alhassan explained: “Chocolate often contains high amounts of sugar, which can cause our blood sugar levels to spike and dip, leaving us feeling sluggish and tired, among other things.”
Even though most chocolates have a low glycaemic index (GI) because of their fat content, they can still cause a rapid rise in your blood glucose levels.
Generally, foods with low GI usually don’t cause spikes in blood sugar but chocolate will lead to high levels in most cases, Diabetes.co.uk warns.
And food coma isn’t the only negative effect of enjoying too much chocolate.
The nutritionist said: “Bloating after a chocolate binge can occur because of the copious amounts of dairy consumed.”
She explained that these negative effects could prevent you from enjoying your Bank holidays in the way you intended.
That’s why she recommended moderation. Ms Alhassan said: “Moderation is key, and we shouldn’t feel guilty for enjoying these treats.
“There’s no harm in doing so as long as we generally follow a balanced diet and get the right amount of nutrients and goodness our bodies need.”
However, she also advised to watch out for bloat that won’t budge. The expert added: “It’s worth making an effort to notice how eating chocolate makes you feel.
“If bloating or any other physical discomfort is persistent, it could be a sign of a food intolerance or an unhappy gut.”
When food parts enter your bloodstream, your immune system can identify them as “foreign” and kick off the production of IgG antibodies to attack them.
The nutritionist noted that this describes a food intolerance, which causes inflammation in your gut.
If you suffer from food intolerance, you can experience a range of symptoms, including headaches, skin breakouts or fatigue.
The NHS recommended seeing a GP if you suffer from food intolerance symptoms.
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