Most of us look forward to Christmas for months (if you’re my daughter, that anticipation starts from 26th December the year before!).
But Christmas doesn’t always match up to the blissful celebration in the movies. All too often we’re stressed in the run-up to the festive season, worrying about being the perfect hosts. By the time we do finally log off for Christmas, there have often been too many late nights, hangovers and missed gym appointments. That means our guts may start Christmas on the back foot – and that is a recipe for bloating, tummy pain, indigestion and more.
Where does the gut microbiome fit into gut health?
Your gut microbiome is comprised of trillions of bacteria, along with viruses and fungi, that live in your gut (mostly your large bowel). It performs crucial functions like digesting fibre that you couldn’t digest otherwise and synthesizing vitamins. It also trains your immune system, defending against harmful microorganisms, all while maintaining a healthy gut barrier.
If that wasn’t enough, there is a constant two-way communication between the gut and the brain. That means your gut microbiome can influence inflammation in your wider body and may play a role in the development of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Research suggests that your gut microbiome can also have a fundamental impact on your mental health – an imbalance of your gut microbiome, called dysbiosis, has been linked to anxiety, depression, stress and more.
Your diet and lifestyle play a key role in determining the health of your gut microbiome and avoiding the risk of dysbiosis and all the health risks it carries.
Why you may struggle with more gut issues over Christmas
If you think about the list of enemies for your microbiome, it reads a bit like a Christmas shopping list:
Sugar and sugary foods (chocolates, biscuits, fudge, Christmas cake – the list is endless)
High fat and fried foods – roast potatoes galore, deep-fried snacks, mince pies, brandy butter and cream
Alcohol - buck’s fizz for breakfast, anyone?
Highly processed foods including fizzy drinks, fried snacks, gammon and pigs in blankets, ready-made gravy and shop-bought pastries.
Stress, irregular sleep patterns and lack of exercise can all wreak havoc on your gut microbiome. If you consider how often these accompany the Christmas period, it’s hardly surprising that your gut health can suffer.
The benefits of a routine to gut health
The food you eat is the main fuel for your gut microbes. Some of the fibre you eat isn’t absorbed by your body, but it does act as a food source for your microbiome. Foods that help your gut microbiome maintain a balance of healthy bacteria are called prebiotic foods. In the same way you struggle if you haven’t eaten properly, the microbes in your gut need a regular supply of foods they can thrive on to stay healthy and diverse.
In addition, your microbiome, like your body, needs time to rest and recuperate. This means a regular sleep routine and regular physical activity.
Tips to help support your gut and keep everything regular
1. Eat a rainbow
The wider the range of plant-based foods you eat, the more diverse your microbiome will be.
2. Make mine a small one
Alternate soft (sugar-free) drinks with alcoholic ones to keep your alcohol consumption down. If you can, delay drinking alcohol until the afternoon and have a glass with your meal rather than eating on an empty stomach.
3. If you do drink, make it red
A study has shown that red wine can actually improve the diversity of your gut microbiome. However, if you drink too much you may have less self-control when it comes to healthy food and activity choices. What’s more, alcohol can disrupt the quality of your sleep, leaving you waking early and unrefreshed in the morning, so go steady.
4. Be prepared
If you’re involved in food preparation for Christmas, make sure there are plenty of tasty, healthy options available. A smoked salmon or prawn and avocado starter still feels special and is much healthier than pastry. Make sure there’s a fresh fruit salad laid out with the other Christmas desserts to top up your whole fruit intake.
5. Snack zone
Instead of crisps and pastries, opt for vegetable crudites with a bean dip such as hummus, and have bowls of mixed nuts on hand.
6. The main event
While there are endless unhealthy options on the average Christmas dinner table, there’s usually a wide array of vegetables too. Pile your plate with veg and lean meat before you start eying up the roast potatoes and stuffing.
7. Speaking of stuffing
There’s an endless supply of stuffing recipes on the internet. Opt for a vegetarian version with lentils, onions, nuts, dried fruit.
8. Devils on horseback
Instead of pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon), go for devils on horseback (when the sausage is substituted for a prune). It still feels like a festive treat but halves the highly processed meat.
9. Wrap up and walk
Instead of ploughing straight on from the main course to the cream-and-carb-laden pudding, agree beforehand with everyone that you’ll all go for a walk after your main course. It takes a while for your brain to register how full you are when you stop eating, so this serves two purposes – you’ll get some healthy steps and you may realise when you get back that you don’t need a second portion of Christmas pudding.
The bottom line
Christmas is a time for family, friends and festivities, and you don’t want it ruined by gut trouble. With a little preparation, you can keep your gut microbiome happy and still join in the fun!
Dig into these 10 Christmas swaps to boost your ‘biome.
Sources
Alcohol and Gut-Derived Inflammation. Alcohol Res. (2017). Link.
The central role of the gut microbiota in chronic inflammatory diseases. J Immunol Res. (2014). Link.
Role of the normal gut microbiota. World J Gastroenterol. (2015). Link.
Red Wine Consumption Associated With Increased Gut Microbiota α-Diversity in 3 Independent Cohorts. Gastroenterology. (2020). Link.
Exploring the gut microbiota: lifestyle choices, disease associations, and personal genomics. Front Nutr. (2023). Link.
Changes in gut microbiota due to supplemented fatty acids in diet-induced obese mice. British Journal of Nutrition. (2013). Link.
Dietary Habits and Their Influence on the Microbiome and Mental Health in Adolescents. Nutrients. (2025). Link.
