Delicism

Up to a third of the U.S. population deals with chronic bloating and stomach distension, according to a study published in the April 2020 Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. And that’s just on normal days. You could say that Thanksgiving is a main event, bloatingwise.

“When food is the focal point of the day, we tend to eat more frequently — sometimes all day — and the menu is usually chock-full of rich foods and decadent desserts containing more sodium and sugar than typically consumed,” says Jennifer Clemente, a board-certified nutrition specialist and an Institute for Functional Medicine practitioner in Hampton Bays, New York. It’s not unusual to overeat way past your point of fullness, too. “Top it all off with a few drinks, and we have the perfect storm for bloating, gas, and feeling really stuffed,” she says.