Recurring Digestive Disorders During Holidays Despite Awareness, Let's Prevent Them This Year!

The Lunar New Year, one of Korea's representative holidays, is approaching.

Seollal Food. Provided by Clipart Korea

Celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar, it marks the beginning of a new year. Families gather after a long time to perform ancestral rites, pay respects to elders with a formal bow called sebae, and prepare and enjoy various traditional foods together.

However, foods commonly consumed during Seollal such as jeon (pancakes), fried dishes, meat, rice cakes, and yakgwa (honey cookies) tend to be high in calories and fat. Additionally, some of these foods are not usually eaten regularly, which can lead to digestive issues such as indigestion, abdominal pain, and food poisoning, so caution is necessary.

The first preventive measure is to avoid overeating. Consuming a large variety of foods in one meal can burden the stomach, causing indigestion symptoms like heartburn, abdominal pain, and bloating. Moreover, exceeding the daily recommended calorie intake can lead to unnecessary fat accumulation in the body and a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, negatively affecting overall health.

Therefore, it is important to regulate meal times and portions considering your usual eating habits. It is advisable to practice the reverse eating method by starting with vegetables, then fish and meat, and eating rice last. Eating slowly and stopping when the stomach is about 80% full is ideal.

After meals, creating an appropriate environment for the body to digest well is essential. Avoid lying down immediately or sleeping due to drowsiness; instead, it is better to sit or stand and engage in light activities such as walking for about 30 minutes.

During Seollal, conversations with family members you haven't seen in a while often naturally lead to drinking alcohol. Excessive drinking can irritate the stomach lining, causing gastritis or reflux esophagitis, and negatively impact the entire digestive system including the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Therefore, it is important to limit both the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption.

Dr. Kim Jae-han, an internal medicine specialist at Daedong Hospital, stated, "Nowadays, with increased interest in health, people have likely encountered multiple warnings about holiday foods. However, when meeting family after a long time, it is common to naturally overeat or overdrink," he pointed out.

Chief Kim Jae-han, Department of Internal Medicine, Daedong Hospital.

He continued, "In fact, during the holiday period, many patients visit emergency rooms with digestive diseases such as abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, and esophagitis, so it is important not to neglect health management even during holidays."

If symptoms of indigestion appear, folk remedies such as pricking fingers with needles are not medically verified and should be avoided. Consuming carbonated drinks does not help alleviate digestive functions either, so dietary control or taking medication prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist is recommended. Until symptoms improve, it is advisable to consume small amounts of easily digestible foods like thin rice gruel or porridge.

If vomiting or diarrhea occurs, it is important to replenish fluids sufficiently to prevent dehydration and avoid greasy or spicy foods. If symptoms worsen or high fever, bloody stools, etc., appear, immediate medical attention is necessary.

Additionally, caution is needed against waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases such as norovirus. To maintain personal hygiene and ensure a healthy Seollal, pay attention to: washing hands with soap under running water for at least 30 seconds; thoroughly cooking food; drinking boiled water; washing vegetables and fruits thoroughly under running water; using separate utensils for cooking; and refraining from preparing food if experiencing diarrhea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.