Are You One of the 75% with Digestive Issues?
Most of the time, we take our digestive system for granted and hardly think about it. But when it goes out of whack and we have uncomfortable symptoms like gas, bloating, cramps or constipation, not only are you reminded you have a digestive system, but it can quickly feel overwhelming and all-encompassing.
Other common gut issues people seek support in resolving include diarrhea and frequent bowel movements (sometimes requiring the need to plot out close by bathroom stops when traveling or even having a change of clothes at the ready due to accidents), and even seemingly unrelated issues like night sweats and unexplained weight loss or gain. We may start to believe these conditions are “normal for us” and that we just have to learn to live with it—especially when we’ve visited doctors who seem to have no real answers.
The Prevalence of Digestive Issues
A 2013 study revealed that 74% of all participants had experienced digestive discomfort for six months or more, yet only 37% sought help from their doctor. Additionally, 56% of those who experienced discomfort didn’t seek medical help because they didn’t believe their symptoms required medical attention. This is one of those conditions we like to call “common but not normal,” and since it is so common, people start to think that it’s not necessary to get help—since everyone they know also has similar issues.
Ignoring the Signs
Ignoring digestive issues can be dangerous. Sometimes digestive distress is symptomatic of a deeper medical issue. It is important to talk to your doctor if you experience ongoing or severe digestive symptoms to understand what is really going on and ensure that it’s not serious.
What if it’s Nothing Serious?
The good news is that if a diagnosed digestive disease is not the reason for your symptoms, it’s often possible to get your digestion back on track by making a few targeted diet and lifestyle tweaks. However, just because it’s not “serious” doesn’t mean certain gut imbalances won’t have long-term consequences, on your hormone, immune system, nutrient absorption, digestive capacity, and more.
Good Digestion: It All Starts With Chewing Your Food
When your digestive system is acting up, the first step should always be to go back to the basics. Simple but effective, chewing your food properly supports the digestive process and makes nutrient absorption easier for your body. That is because chewing starts the digestive process. Mechanically, it breaks food into smaller pieces to increase its surface area so that your digestive enzymes can get to work more effectively.
Chemically, chewing also triggers the production of saliva which contains the initial enzyme that then triggers multiple enzymes, each facilitating the next to achieve complete digestion and absorption of nutrients from your food.
Eating too quickly, while distracted or on the go often prevent us from chewing our food well enough. It is more important than many of us realize to set aside ample time to enjoy your meals. If this is new for you, try scheduling meal times like any other priority to help fortify the habit in the beginning.
Digestive Health Tests Can Uncover Imbalances
Optimizing digestive health is an area where integrative, functional and naturopathic medicine excel. We can run specialized microbiome and other lab tests to see what is really going on, even if your regular checkup did not give you a diagnosis of digestive disease. We have a full toolbox of strategies to evaluate your digestion and uncover issues that may be at the root of your symptoms, including:
- Stool testing to check your unique microbiome of bacteria and yeasts
- Testing for markers of inflammation
- Checking pancreatic enzyme levels
- Checking for food intolerances and immune markers, as well as celiac antibodies
- Testing for nutritional deficiencies, diabetes indicators, liver function, stress hormones and more.
4 Steps to Supporting Good Digestion
1- Eat a Digestion-Focused Diet
What you eat matters. Nutrient dense, fiber-rich foods filled with enzymes help your meals move through your digestive system. Options abound, and have a variety of vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fruit available to us year-round.
Probiotic Foods
Eating probiotic rich, fermented foods like unsweetened probiotic yogurt, kimchi, kefir, miso, and sauerkraut is important as well. Probiotics battle the harmful bacteria in your digestive system and lower the pH levels in the colon, which supports your gut lining and aids in absorbing nutrients.
Healthy Fats
Lastly, fats encourage gallbladder function and thus support the absorption of minerals from your food. Healthy options including avocados, nuts, seeds and their oils as well as fatty fish are all great ways to support that digestive cascade while nourishing your body the right way.
Fewer Irritants
Reducing sugar and caffeine also aids in the digestive process by reducing irritation that is often caused by gas and unfriendly bacteria. The bacteria that causes gas and cramping feeds off sugar and multiplies. Stevia is a good alternative to sugar, and an herbal or rooibos tea can offer you a bit of energy midday rather than that extra cup of coffee, as caffeine can be irritating to the digestive tract.
More Fiber
High-fiber foods absorb water and other fluids to form a gel-like substance that feeds the good bacteria in your digestive system and soothes the gut wall. This helps provide bulk, which eases the passing of waste through your system. Getting waste out of your body quickly is essential for detoxification and disease prevention
2 – Drink Plenty of Water
Dehydration and constipation go hand in hand. Water is needed to produce digestive enzymes, it helps move nutrients from your food into your cells, it keeps soluble fiber hydrated and puffy so it can do its job of “sweeping” the digestive tract, and it is a crucial part of muscle movement – remember that your gut is a long tube made up of muscles that need to contract in a coordinated wave-like motion.
3 – Reduce Stress at Mealtimes
In “fight or flight” mode the body redirects water from your digestive system to serve the immediate survival need, so high stress over time causes constipation and a host of digestive symptoms. Keeping stress low is particularly important during mealtimes as the body needs to be in a state of calm for digestion to occur properly.
Slow down and make a conscious effort to sit down at a table to eat your meal. Turn off any screens, take slow, deep breaths, and pay attention to the pleasure of good food, and if you’re lucky, good company. This will help put your body into “rest and digest” mode and enable the body to do what it needs to do next in the digestive process.
4 – Make Sure to Move
Digestive health pioneer Dr. Bernard Jensen famously said, “After your meal, sit a while, then walk a mile.” Research has shown us that exercise can indeed improve the rate at which you digest food. Gravity and movement stimulate peristalsis by helping to trigger various “fullness” receptors in your colon, which triggers healthy peristalsis to push your digested food through the digestive tract at a regular pace.
Helping Out Your Digestion with Supplements
Digestive Enzymes
For many of us these days, eating well, chewing well and relaxing are not quite enough to bring balance back. If meals still have you feeling overly full, your enzymes may need some support. Our nutritionists can help you to find the right enzyme supplement for your symptoms. Digestive enzymes can be found in papaya and pineapple.
Probiotics
The good bacteria in your digestive tract supports gut health by breaking down specific carbohydrates, soothing the gut wall and producing hormones such as serotonin, the “feel-good hormone.” Maintaining that microbiome is essential for avoiding digestive problems like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea – and for mental health.
A good quality probiotic supplement can help replenish and balance your gut bacteria, and it’s one of the foundational supplements we recommend for most clients. Ask us for guidance on which one would be best for you.
We are Here to Help
Don’t let poor digestion cramp your style! If you’re experiencing digestive distress, book a breakthrough session with one of our nutritionists, and we’ll get your digestive tract back on track.
Call or text us at 925-280-4442
Find out if working with us is the right step for you.
We think you need to get to know us and we want to know all about you! Before you commit to anything a nutritionist will get to know you in a private session.
We will work to uncover the hidden reasons for your struggles and will create a plan to solve them.
Let’s get you feeling better ASAP! Book your breakthrough session now.
