Poor Digestion

What did you just eat?

Feeling that uncomfortable tummy ache or heartburn, especially soon after a meal, makes you think, what did I just eat? The gut has been referred to as the second brain due to its complex nervous system similar to that of the brain. Therefore taking note of what your tummy tells you can be the start of building up your awareness of what your body likes or does not. It may have autoimmune causes, or it may be triggered by a single food poisoning event. But poor indigestion can be uncomfortable and disruptive to your everyday life. Therefore addressing the gut is crucial. You could do this for yourself, making the diet and lifestyle changes from your doctor’s recommendations or you seek out a health coach. Clearing this up has incredible benefits of increasing your daily energy, better concentration and reducing gas, constipation, bad breath, dry skin, hair loss, anaemia and hypoglycemia. It is all connected to the gut!

So here are some things you can experiment with. Building up awareness of what does and does not work will be so important and serve you well all through life, so you don’t end up feeling the same over and over again.

Processed foods, Sugar, Seed oils, Refined Flour

Processed foods, industrial seed oils, sugar, and refined flour may harm gut health. They unbalance the bacteria living in our gut and can cause inflammation, intestinal permeability, and leptin resistance. All of these may make it difficult for a person to gauge whether or not they have had enough to eat, possibly leading to overeating. Many people with digestive problems are intolerant of gluten, one of the proteins found in wheat, and find relief from a gluten-free diet. Other grains—even those that are gluten-free—can also cause digestive upset in some people. Tip: Check the ingredients list on anything you cook with. If there are lots of things in the box or packet, and things which sound like science (and you can’t picture this growing in a natural state) then it is processed.

Insoluble and Soluble Fibre

Insoluble fibre adds bulk to the stool, but it does not get fermented by the gut bacteria, at least not very much. It tends to aggravate an irritable bowel. Examples of insoluble fibre foods are:

• Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, mesclun, collards, arugula, watercress, etc.)
• Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, and pea pods
• Green beans
• Kernel corn, mielies
• Bell peppers
• Eggplant
• Celery
• Onions, shallots, leeks, and scallions
• Garlic
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower

On the other side, soluble fibre is fermented by the beneficial gut bacteria and is soothing to the gut.
Examples are:

• Carrots
• Squash (gem, butternut (especially peeled))
• Starchy tubers (sweet potatoes, white potatoes)
• Turnips
• Parsnips
• Beets

Fermented Foods and Probiotics

Fermented foods or probiotics if tolerated. Many people with digestion issues such as SIBO are not able to tolerate fermented foods and most probiotics. In cases where fermented foods trigger digestive symptoms, they should be eliminated and reintroduced in minimal amounts at a later stage, with the guidance of the practitioner. The fermentation process makes foods more digestible and produces healthy bacteria that are beneficial to the gut. Fermented foods include sauerkraut (and any other fermented vegetables), beet kvass, well-fermented kombucha, yoghurt, kefir (water or dairy) and kimchi. When tolerated, aim for 1 to 2 tablespoons at each meal, plus other fermented foods like kefir or yoghurt throughout the day. Tip: I am crazy about So Good Kombucha that my husband and I make and sell to the Pretoria Area, in South Africa. 

Bone Broth

It is rich in nutrients that have a soothing and healing effect on the gut. Bone broth can be made at home by simmering bones, ideally from pasture-raised animals such as cows or chickens, in water with any tolerated vegetables (such as carrots, celery, onions, and garlic) for about two hours in an electric pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot. Broth can be used to make soups, stews, or sauces, or even sipped like tea.
Aim for 1⁄2 to 1 cup of bone broth per day.

Fluid Intake

Proper hydration is key for the success of treating indigestion. Build up your awareness of hydration by keeping a fluid intake log, if needed, to avoid symptoms and to support detoxification.

FODMAPS

FODMAP foods contain certain types of carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed by some people and might wreak havoc in the small intestine, increasing SIBO symptoms in some clients. But FODMAP foods are also important for strengthening the microbiome. Therefore being on a low FODMAP diet should only be done for a short time. Long-term use of a low-FODMAP diet may lead to significant nutritional deficiencies. It is important to slowly reintroduce FODMAPs as soon as possible one at a time to find out which one was the biggest offender to you. Examples of high-FODMAP foods are:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Cauliflower
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Legumes
• Milk
• Apples
• Figs

Lifestyle

Since stress and lack of sleep can also contribute, daily meditation, contact with nature, deep breathing, yoga, and getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night are important for regenerating and rebalancing the gut. Also, check your alcohol consumption and perhaps try to limited to four to six drinks per week or eliminated until the gut is healed.

Source: Chris Kresser : Gut Inflamation