'Tis the Season for Constipation, Bloating, Heartburn, Burping, and Indigestion

If your seasonal soundtrack is more "Jingle Burps" (yep, that rude YouTube classic) than "Happy Holidays," you’re not alone. A recent nationwide survey found that from Thanksgiving till New Year's Day, heartburn makes two out of three people less than holly-jolly. Perhaps you've personally logged more minutes in the powder room than under the mistletoe, dealing with indigestion, constipation, gas, burping, bloating, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) -- all made worse by holiday stress and Aunt Martha's wieners 'n' cheese dip.

How to get back to the merry-making? We YOU Docs have some new ways to dial down indigestion and avoid both a Santa-sized belly and that "where's the bathroom" feeling. Here are 5 common holiday belly busters, each followed by a tip to fix or prevent stomach upset.

1. An impossible to-do list: Juggling pre-dawn sales, cookie-baking marathons, parties, post office lines and, oh yeah, your job, family, and pets? Stress doesn't just boost stomach acid levels. It also makes even a little acid backwash feel like the world's worst heartburn.
   Tip: Scratch one big thing from the list. We vote for the cookie baking! Instead, fill holiday platters and gift baskets with nuts, clementines, pomegranates, dark chocolate, and dried cranberries. Also, carve out 10 minutes a day for YOU time. Relaxation calms IBS and heartburn. Use the RealAge Heartburn Health Assessment to see what's getting your acid up.
2. Too much sleigh time: Sitting for long stretches -- in planes, cars, behind eight tiny reindeer -- is a recipe for constipation and IBS flare-ups. (What is IBS anyway?) Too much chair time also nearly triples your risk for serious heartburn.
   
   Tip: Move around, even when you're traveling. Hike the airport if your flight is delayed. In the air, walk plane aisles whenever there's a chance, and walk before and after your flight. Pull over at highway rest stops for a 5-minute stretch and stroll. Even a few minutes here and there halves heartburn risk because it speeds digestion and keeps you upright. It helps IBS, constipation, and indigestion, too.
3. Eggnog, cocoa, lasagna, cheesecake, cream sauce: There's mounting evidence that an overload of dairy causes bloating, gas, and diarrhea in more people than anyone thought. The culprit is lactose, a milk sugar some people can't digest at all. Overloads can bother anyone. All the fat in creamy, cheesy stuff doesn't help indigestion and heartburn either.
   
   Tip: Skip high-fat dairy year-round, not just now. Its saturated fat jams your arteries and inflates your waistline, and challenges your digestive system. Stick to one or two servings of low/no-fat dairy a day for its calcium (get 600 milligrams from food, 600 from a supplement). Probiotics can help keep your system running smoothly, too.
4. Sugar-loaded and sugar-free sweets. Too much fructose (from foods sugared-up with corn syrup or corn sugar) and too many sugar alcohols (from such sweeteners as sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and isomalt) can make your digestive system feel as overwhelmed as Santa's. Gassy and crampy, too. Avoid store-bought pies, cookies, ice cream, and sweet drinks, which are usually packed with high-fructose corn syrup. Ditto for sugar-free chocolate and other treats laden with sugar alcohols.
   
   Tip: See the tip for belly buster #2! Need something fancier? Peel and poach six firm pears with a cinnamon stick and a couple of inches of peeled, sliced fresh ginger for about 15 minutes. Chill, drizzle with melted dark chocolate, and garnish with mint and walnuts. Ginger's a great digestive aid. Here's how to make ginger work for you.
5. Santa-sized portions. Maybe you're not devouring 20 million cookies during one long, busy night, but loading up at the office party or your neighbor's New Year's buffet is a classic recipe for bathroom-bound distress.
   
   Tip: Outsmart Santa-sized portions by tasting everything . . . but start by filling the center of your plate with veggies, salad, and turkey breast or salmon before you add small spoonfuls of the creamy, high-calorie stuff on the side. Your tummy will thank you. And your jeans will still fit in January.

Is it something you ate? Find out what’s giving your stomach fits and get relief.