What Not to Eat on the Morning of Your Wedding

Guest Blogger: Jessica Hochstadt, MS, Nutritionist and owner of “I Do” Nutrition
Jessica was a Nutritionist and Health Educator in a Boston-based hospital before deciding to focus her practice on brides with “I Do” Nutrition—a global weight-loss service that caters to brides and their bridal parties, on their schedule. She understands that everyone has a different relationship with food, and enjoys guiding bridal parties to appreciate the importance behind meal planning, understanding nutrition, and building a healthy lifestyle. In a time where our world and kitchen cupboards have become overly saturated with misinformation about nutrition, Jessica brings the simplicity back to a field that has sustained us through life.

Your wedding is going to be one of the most memorable days of your life — and hopefully for all the right reasons (like marrying your best friend and person you love, and celebrating with your closest friends and family) — not because you couldn’t fit into your wedding dress or had an allergic reaction to peanuts before walking down the aisle. (Laugh, but these things have happened!)

The foods you eat can have consequences on your mental and physical health, two things that can affect you on your wedding day. Therefore, in order to ensure that you can enjoy a carefree wedding day, here is a list of foods that you should avoid eating before exchanging vows (psst — check out what you should eat here).

► Fruits and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and brussel sprouts) 
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, due to their high content of invaluable nutrients. However, there are reasons to avoid these foods on the morning of your wedding. Fruits and cruciferous vegetables contain a high amount of fiber (normally a wonderful and important nutrient). Because your stomach has to work hard to digest fiber, you might experience bloating and gas that can last up to several hours.

► Sugary candy
Although your wedding day is a celebration, there will be plenty of time for sweets after the ceremony. The sugar in the candy is not only highly addictive, making you crave more throughout the day, but it will also cause a sugar or energy crash due to how it is absorbed in the body. This effect leaves you fatigued, irritable, and sleepy. None of these symptoms will help you stay awake for the long night of celebrations ahead.

► Dairy
Most people become lactose-sensitive (if not intolerant) as they age. This is an evolutionary mechanism that was meant to wean children off of their mother’s milk. Dairy is primarily a fatty food — fats take longer to digest than any other nutrient and stay in your stomach longer, causing bloating and intestinal discomfort.

► New foods
Today is not the day to experiment with foods you’ve never tasted before. If you’ve never something, you don’t know if you will have an allergic reaction — the ultimate wedding spoiler! Save the foodie adventures until after the honeymoon.

Important: Do not, by any means, cut these foods out of your diet entirely (at least not without speaking to a doctor or dietician). Simply put them on hold during the morning of your wedding so that any butterflies you experience in your stomach are solely from the excitement of the day and lifetime ahead of you.

If this list seems restrictive, remember this is only a guide to follow for a few hours. Once the wedding party kicks in, enjoy all the foods you normally eat. And also consider all the good things you can eat on the morning of your wedding!

—Jessica Hochstadt, MS.

Photo Credit: Punchstock