Digestive Health
The digestive system is absolutely fundamental to the health of the rest of your body. Hippocrates, the father of medicine said, “all disease begins in the gut”. When you think about it, digestion is critical to getting all the energy, and essential nutrients your body needs to do it’s daily work. Even if you are eating the best, cleanest, greenest, organic foods; if your digestive system isn’t on point, those foods could be causing you discomfort, and the nutrients could be wasted instead of absorbed.
Your digestive system is also the first line of defence between the outside world and the inside world of your body. A healthy well functioning digestive system will help lessen the load on the immune system by killing or impeding the passage of bacteria,viruses, yeasts, and parasites into the body in the first place.
Digestion starts from the minute you smell or think about food. Then, there should be a seamless process of natural chemical digestion as well as mechanical and microbial digestion as foods and drinks pass from the mouth through the digestive tract. The body should efficiently obtain the nutrients it needs for all its functions, eliminate anything of potential harm, and excrete the waste products via the bowels on a daily basis.
Some signs your digestive system isn’t happy:
Reflux or Heartburn
Bloating
Feeling tired after you eat
Constipation or diarrhoea
Stomach aches or discomfort
Excessive gas and wind.
How to master your digestive health naturally
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to enjoy eating without worrying about whether you are getting enough of the good stuff, or wondering if you are going to have a belly ache or need to unbutton your pants! Eating is for nourishing the body to help it do all it needs to do and all you want it to be able to do. With that in mind, knowing what to put in your mouth, how much and when can be the difference between a good day and a bad day.
- Understand and get to know your gut microbiome (the bugs that live in your gut ) and how to help it work for you and not against you.
- Distinguish between food allergies and intolerances and gradually rebuild the variety of foods you can enjoy again.
- Feel confident to be able to eat out and make choices that work for your body.
- Never have the need to unbutton your pants under the table again or evade your workmates due to the potential of a “gas leak”.
