Something I discuss with my patients daily is the importance of good digestion; because as the saying goes, I believe that health begins in the gut.
You’ve got many important organs to consider – the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and of course the small & large intestines. These organs are where you break down your food and absorb your nutrients. So if you don’t have optimal digestion, you won’t absorb crucial nutrients from your food, even if you are eating an ideal diet!
Bloating, indigestion and acid reflux are super common symptoms…and lots of us just think that it’s simply unavoidable. Well, I’m here to say that these symptoms need to be addressed.
A few of the factors that can impair efficient digestion include stress, eating too quickly, eating large quantities, eating too close to bedtime, food allergies and even inflammation.
Also something to consider if you have been trying to lose weight and are not getting your desired results, is to look at improving your overall digestion.
So what can you do? One easy fix is to take digestive enzymes with your meals, especially while eating cooked and processed foods. The older we get the fewer enzymes our bodies produce, and enzymes are crucial for helping to properly break down your food.
Another solid fix is to improve your good gut flora by eating fermented foods such as sauerkraut, plain yogurt or kefir, Kombucha, pickles or kimchi. When that’s not possible or if you don’t like the taste of fermented foods you can always supplement with a high quality probiotic which offers concentrated amounts of beneficial bacteria in a convenient dose.There are lots of natural methods out there for treating digestive issues, so it’s really just a question of becoming aware and educated on what your options are. It’s truly worth the effort to find solutions, because as you can see there is more to digestion than most of us realize…and our health depends on it!
Yours in health,