“All disease begins in the gut” how true these words by Hippocrates known as the “Father of Medicine” are. A good digestion and a halthy gut are the key to good health. If you are not absorbing all the essential nutrients the body needs from food, you are opening the door for serious health issues.
Gut Health
Gut health is essential in keeping your immune system strong and in making sure the body is absorbing all the nutrients it needs from your diet. The gut lining has a very important role. It protects your internal organs making sure that undigested food and pathogens do not get in. The gut also needs good bacteria like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria. If the gut becomes inflamed however, and goes untreated you will eventually run the risk of developing what is known as a “leaky gut” which means that your digestive system has been compromised and this can lead to autoimmune diseases.
Factors Contributing to Digestive Problems
Recreational and prescriptive drugs like: antibiotics, alcohol, steroids and NSAIDs.
Emotional Stress.
Food intolerances- the most common being wheat and dairy
A diet that lacks fibre.
A diet rich in sugar, dairy, red meat, rich foods and all ready made meals.
Being over acidic. So important to keep the body alkaline to prevent onset of disease.
Symptoms of a compromised digestive system
Feeling bloated and heavy after meals.
Fatigue.
Headaches.
Skin rashes.
Feeling toxic.
Liver and lymphatic congestion.
Diffiulty in remembering and having a foggy head.
Conditions Associated with poor digestion and gut health
IBS
Crohn’s
Chronic fatigue.
Food allergies.
Asthma.
Autoimmune diseases.
Rheumatoid arthritis.
Mineral deficiency from malabsorption.
Eczema
Celiac disease.
Recommendations
I would strongly recommend a food intolerance test. I recommend it to all my clients. All food can be good and bad. We are all individual and no one shoe fits all. What is good for one person may not be good for another. Therefore very important to discover the culprits that are putting a strain on your digestive system to prevent further complications.
An increase in dietarty fibre by eating more fruit and vegetables is essential.
Keep the body alkaline as opposed to acidic. An over acidic body will result in the onset of disease. So important to make sure that 80% of the time we are super healthy.
Supplements like L- Glutamine are fantastic for healing the gut. Taken in a powder form it is wonderful and healing. As is slippery elm.
A strong probiotic is essential to gut health.
Include more green powders into your smoothies like wheat grass, barley grass, chlorella and spirulina.
Digestive enzymes or a piece of pineapple taken before main meals will help to digest food.
I hope the above has been helpful. If you would like more information on gut health, or suffer from any digestive disorder and would like advice I do online consultaions, so please feel free to email me.
Next week I will be discussing the importance of looking after your liver.