Admit it or not, many fall prey to the temptation of overindulging in food during this time of the year.  With consecutive days of partying and the pleasure of being in the company of friends and family, it’s almost impossible to remember eating in right proportions or even proper periods of time.  But here’s what happens when you “eat yourself sick”: the capacity of the digestive system to process food can be strained, especially with the intake of fatty foods, rich desserts, and alcoholic drinks.

It is a given fact that tastier foods are more difficult to digest while an excess of alcoholic and caffeinated beverage such as coffee, tea or softdrinks can increase reflux of the stomach acid into the esophagus which may be traced to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Others may even feel bloating, excessive fullness, regurgitation, and burping or belching – symptoms of dyspepsia, which is another digestive disorder.

With that unpleasant picture, it is best to learn how to gain control over food and overcome binge eating.  Developing healthy eating habits takes time but it has to start somewhere and what better time it is than now.  Here are a few tips you can start with.

• Pace yourself and take the time to enjoy the food. When you eat slowly, you slow down your rate of eating, and you eat less because you give your stomach more time to feel full.

• Always monitor when and what you eat and drink.

• Limit the amount of fried or high-fat foods that you eat, such as gravies and sauces, and processed food.

• Try to avoid eating and drinking late at night, or going to bed with a full, heavy stomach. If you have to, stay up for a few hours to give your body enough time to digest your last food intake.

• Don’t eat when you’re not really hungry.

• Don’t let yourself get over-hungry. Doing so will only lead to stuffing yourself way beyond the point of being full;

• Don’t eat while you’re talking. Take the time to talk with others and put your fork down between bites.

• If you want to taste everything on the buffet table, limit yourself to small bites.

• To reduce temptation, avoid staying long at the dinner table or near the buffet table.

• If you are on an exercise regimen, continue it through the holidays to keep your body in good condition.

• Remember to eat just enough to satisfy your cravings.