A nutrition expert takes these 2 supplements to recover after the holidays

• Saman Khalesi has dedicated his career to studying how nutrition can impact health.
• Khalesi takes two supplements to boost his health after the holidays: a multivitamin and a probiotic.

December is a joyful holiday season: a time of parties, fun, and lots of good food and drink. But it can also be a time of overindulgence, leaving you feeling bloated and unhealthy.

Dr. Saman Khalesi, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Nutrition at Central Queensland University in Australia, has spent his career studying how nutrition can benefit health. But even Khalesi indulges during the holidays.

"I might drink a little bit more, eat not as healthy as I always do," Khalesi told Insider.

To help get back on track after the holidays, Khalesi said he takes two types of supplements: a probiotic and a multivitamin.

"I do take probiotics and multivitamins, not regularly, but I do take them occasionally, especially if I'm on holiday after coming back," Khalesi said.

Probiotics

Eating poorly, lack of exercise, and drinking can all negatively impact our gut microbiome, the trillions of microorganisms like bacteria and yeast that inhabit our gut.

To boost gut health after the holidays, Khalesi said he takes a probiotic supplement.

Probiotic supplements contain "good" gut bacteria, and can help restore gut health after unhealthy — but enjoyable — holiday merrymaking.

While probiotics supplements can contain all different kinds of probiotic strains, Khalesi said he gravitates toward ones that contain different strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. "I prefer those ones that are more researched," he said.

For people who have an underlying health condition, like irritable bowel syndrome, it might be necessary to take probiotics for a few weeks to a few months in order to reap benefits, Khalesi said.

But for people who are generally healthy and just eating poorer during the holidays, "even taking your probiotics and vitamins every couple of days, or every three days — it helps." Khalesi said.

A multivitamin

While research on whether you actually need multivitamins is mixed, they could help make sure you're still getting all your essential nutrients. This could be especially important during the holiday season, when you're less likely to hit your daily serving of fruits and veggies.

"During Christmas and holiday time, people usually don't eat as healthy as they are supposed to," Khalesi said. "I know that my lifestyle during the holidays is not as good as it should be."

Just like with probiotics, Khalesi said he doesn't necessarily take a multivitamin everyday; he just takes a few as he makes his way through the holiday season.

Get back to your normal routine ASAP

Although taking probiotics and multivitamins can help you recover from lifestyle changes during the holidays, "the most important thing is getting back to the routine," Khalesi said.

Specifically, Khalesi said it's key to eat foods that support the health of good gut bacteria, like complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fruits, and vegetables.

Eating a healthy diet can encourage good gut bacteria to diversify and thrive, Khalesi said, and is the most important thing you can do for gut health.

"Never, ever omit fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates from your diet," Khalesi said. "Those are the best things that happen to our diet."