Navigating Eating Habits During the Holidays

The holidays are a beautiful time—but let’s be honest, they can also be a perfect storm for overeating. Between celebration, travel, family stress, and endless buffets, it’s easy to find ourselves indulging in foods that are heavy in sugar, fats, salt, alcohol, and allergens. These choices can spike blood sugar levels, raise cholesterol, trigger bloating, disrupt sleep, deplete energy, and even affect one's mood.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the key to navigating holiday eating isn’t restriction—it’s balance, mindfulness, and supporting your digestive organs so your body can handle occasional indulgence without suffering.

Why We Overeat

Spleen – Your Digestive Engine

The Spleen transforms food into energy (Qi) and nutrients. When it becomes overworked by heavy foods, symptoms such as fatigue, bloating, sugar cravings, and loose stools appear. A stressed Spleen means you aren’t turning food into energy efficiently, leading to more cravings and overeating.

Stomach – Your Internal “Food Processor”

The Stomach breaks down, mixes, and churns food. When it becomes overwhelmed, food “gets stuck”, you feel overly full, with gas, belching, diarrhea, or constipation can follow. TCM refers to this as “Food Stagnation”, a condition that is particularly common during the holidays.

Liver – The Stress Regulator

Stress, frustration, and emotional heaviness during the holidays can congest the Liver Qi. When Liver Qi stagnates, it disrupts digestion, leading to symptoms such as acid reflux, nausea, alternating constipation and diarrhea, and emotional eating. This is why emotional stress so often becomes digestive distress.

Acupressure to

Reset Your Digestion

P-6 (Inner Gate)

Located on the inner wrists. It’s used to calm stress and nausea, and helps prevent overeating and trigger cycles.

Ren-12 (Middle Palace)

Located at the solar plexus. It is traditionally used to support Stomach–Spleen harmony and helps with stress-induced digestive upset.

S-36 (Foot Three Miles)

Located just below the knees on the outer side of the shin. It is known as the master acupoint for boosting energy, reducing bloating and gas, and strengthening digestive function.

Discover the benefits of self-healing through acupressure here.

Herbal Remedies to Keep

You Comfortable

Digest Formula is ideal for addressing overeating, bloating, food stagnation, and stomach heaviness. Digest is based on a classical formula, Boa He Wan, and includes Chinese Hawthorn berry, known for helping move food, reduce bloating, and calm the Stomach. It is an excellent strategy on days when you eat a lot.

Mood Elevation is ideal for stress eating, emotional imbalances, digestive upset from tension, and PMS-related cravings (if applicable). This formula is based on the classical formula Gan Mai Da Zao Tang, which is known for its properties to soothe the Liver, calm anxiety and cravings, and harmonize digestion. And it’s perfect for emotional eating patterns.

Nutrition Tips to Prevent Overindulgence

Fill Your Plate With Color

Foods like kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, pomegranates, and berries provide fiber, antioxidants, and gut-nourishing phytonutrients. These help regulate digestion and reduce cravings later.

Include Lean Proteins in Your Meals

Lean proteins, such as salmon, tofu, cod, turkey breast, and chicken breast, stabilize blood sugar, support muscle repair, and help prevent overeating.

Herbal Tea Helpers

Mint, ginger, and chamomile teas support smoother digestion, lessen gas and bloating, and offer relief from nausea.

Lifestyle Tips for Staying Balanced

Walk After a Meal. Even 10 minutes can aid digestion, reduce blood sugar spikes, and improve mood and energy.

Hydrate. Water helps flush out sodium and sugar, improves elimination, and supports the immune system.

Avoid Alcohol, Excess Caffeine, and Sparkling Water. All can irritate the gut, cause dehydration, and worsen bloating during the holidays.

Self-Healing Qi Gong With Dr. Mao. 

Qi Gong helps release stress, strengthen digestion, improve metabolism, support a healthy weight, and calm emotional cravings. Even 10 minutes a day can dramatically improve how your body responds to holiday foods.

If you’re feeling bloated, tired, stressed, or struggling with overeating this holiday season, our Tao of Wellness doctors can help you restore balance quickly and naturally. We invite you to reach out and book a consultation today to receive a personalized plan, including acupuncture, herbal formulas, nutrition and lifestyle coaching, stress management strategies, Qi Gong and movement prescriptions, and holiday survival tools designed just for you.

Wishing you a joyful, balanced, and healthy season!