If your stomach has felt like it’s been “on vacation” a little too long over the holidays – bloating, sluggish digestion, unpredictable bathroom habits – you’re not alone. January is the perfect time to hit reset and give your gut microbiome the fresh start it’s now begging for.
For people with digestive issues, the holidays leave behind more than good memories. Heavy meals, sweet treats, irregular schedules, travel, stress, and alcohol can all disrupt the gut microbiome. When that delicate ecosystem gets out of balance, the symptoms show up fast: gas, bloating, heartburn, irregularity, food sensitivities, and that “off” feeling in your whole body.
Here’s what you need to know: your gut microbiome doesn’t bounce back on its own.
You have to rebuild it.
After the holidays this year, I was sitting around the house feeling unusually bloated and foggy. Overall, I’m pretty consistent with my nutrition, but December was Decembering. A lot of travel. A lot of celebrations. A lot of foods I don’t usually eat.
One morning, I opened the fridge, looked at the leftovers, and thought, “I know exactly what part of my gut this is feeding—and it’s not the good part.”
I went back to the basics – an analogy I use with my patients: nourish the “grass,” starve the “weeds.”
Within days, my digestion calmed, my energy picked up, and that heavy feeling in my gut started to resolve. It was a good reminder that even small shifts can completely reset your system when you understand what it needs.
Think of your gut microbiome like a lawn.
Some foods feed the grass. They promote beneficial bacteria that keep your digestion smooth, reduce inflammation, support immunity, and influence energy, mood, and metabolism.
Build these back into your diet to restore balance:
- Fiber (beans, whole grains, leafy greens)
- Fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil)
- Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir)
Even minor tweaks begin shifting your microbiome in the right direction.
Other foods feed the weeds. They cause bacteria, yeast, or inflammatory processes that create discomfort, bloating, or digestive chaos.
Avoid or eliminate these holiday favorites to prevent microbiome disruption:
- Fried foods
- Fatty, heavy meals
- Processed foods
- Alcohol
If this list looks like your holiday highlight reel, don’t stress, it’s fixable.
Functional Support
Sometimes the gut needs a little extra help, and that’s where functional medicine shines.
Functional GI testing can uncover:
- Yeast overgrowth
- Bacterial imbalance
- Parasites
- Insufficient digestive enzymes
- Hidden inflammation
For some patients, targeted herbal support is needed to rebalance the ecosystem. In other cases, strategic intermittent fasting gives the gut time to repair and reduce inflammation.
Think of it as giving your lawn the right fertilizer and pulling out the stubborn weeds.
If you’re ready to rebuild your gut after the holidays, or if your digestion hasn’t felt “normal” in months, now is the perfect time to get clarity.
Schedule a visit with Dr. Graves to assess your microbiome, create a personalized healing plan, and start feeding the grass instead of the weeds.
Your gut can heal. Let’s help it thrive.
Dr. Adam Graves, ND, LAc, provides holistic and functional care to those in the Denver Metro Area at his practice, Colorado Natural Medicine & Acupuncture.
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