After delivering a workshop on digestive health, here are some tools to help.
Care for your body it is your life.
Get to know the magnificent machine called your human body, how it functions and how you can care for it optimally- you only have 1!
Heroic tip 1
Digestive health starts in the mouth. By chewing your food properly this helps to break it down and the salivary glands secrete an enzyme called salivary amylase which helps to break down carbohydrate so that when your food reaches your stomach the digestive enzymes don’t have to work as hard.
Heroic tip 2
Eat when you are hungry- Many of us have lost the ability to understand what hunger means to us as food is so abundant. Are you eating for hunger or are you eating from habit?
Heroic Tip 3 Eat in a calm and quiet environment- Try to move away from TV, tablets, smartphones, More information on mindful eating can be found here
Heroic Tip 4
Try to avoid excessive liquids with your meals as this may dilute the digestive enzymes causing them to work less effectively. Although maintaining good hydration through the day is essential to help with prevention of constipation.1)
Heroic Tip 5
Rest and relax after to allow your body to fully digest your meal
Heroic Tip 6
Leave some time in between meals to allow the full process of digestion to occur. Leave about 10 hours before you break your fast! Constant grazing in an evening can play havoc with not only your blood sugar but excess sugars can cause issues with bacterial imbalance in your lower bowel- this is called dysbiosis.1)
Heroic tip 7
If you get bloated, gas, pain, constipation and inflammation maybe check your gut health and investigate if you have Leaky gut syndrome. Brain fog, skin conditions, fatigue and a lack of energy are also all linked to Leaky gut.
Heroic Tip 8
Ensure that you provide nutrition for your beneficial bacteria- prebiotics- foods such as leeks, onions, garlic, oats, melon, avocado, asparagus and green leafy vegetables – soluble fibre
Heroic Tip 9
Take probiotics- these are beneficial bacteria and are essential for maintaining a healthy large intestinal environment – as well as they are known to produce 80% of the neurotransmitter serotonin- This is called the gut brain connection!1)
Heroic Tip 10
Check out your stress levels and investigate if your lifestyle is impacting your gut health. Stress has a massive impact on nutrient depletion and so both physical stress- excessive exercise, or no exercise, ill health, surgery, as well as psychological stress- lack of sleep, relationship issues, work demands all have the same effect on the body and you will need additional micronutrients such as vitamin C, magnesium, selenium and the B vitamins to help your body cope with the demands you are putting git under.
A couple of other blogs you may find helpful