Tips for Improved Digestion

I remember as a kid loving the Alka Seltzer commercials. One of the commercials had a jingle, "Plop, plop, fiz, fiz, oh what a relief it is". A second one pictured someone who had obviously overeaten saying, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" At the time, these commercials were catchy and creative, but they illustrated a problem even way back then. Americans suffer from lots of digestive issues. And it has only gotten worse since then.

I wanted to offer a few suggestions that I've been learning and trying that might help you and those you love with some indigestion issues. Some simple practices and natural supplements could make a huge difference.

Digestion takes 80% of our energy and begins in the mouth and ends ... well, you know where it ends. Chewing our food adequately is key, as the majority of our digestive enzymes are actually in the mouth. Before you swallow, your food should be the consistency of cake batter.

Drink water a half hour before your meal, but limit the liquid you drink with your meal, as this will dilute your stomach acid. Most people suffer from too little stomach acid and taking antacids only makes this worse. Acid reflux is often caused by our not having enough acid to digest our food quickly and efficiently and then send it on to the intestines. It hangs around in the stomach too long. Eating smaller portions and keeping your food combinations simpler can also aid your body in getting food out of the stomach more quickly.

Taking a natural enzyme supplement with your meals can assist the body in breaking down your food. I use Essentialzyme-4 from Young Living which consists of two capsules, one for animal based foods, the other for plant based foods. The enzyme capsule for plants is released in the stomach, while the enzyme capsule for proteins is released in the small intestine. When I started taking these enzymes, I was amazed at how it created a rhythm in my digestive track that I had never really experienced before ("three trains in, three trains out") and acid reflux was gone. I also began to lose weight that had been stubbornly hanging on.

Raw, organic produce has more living enzymes, then processed foods. Fruits and vegetables also have lots of fiber which helps with scouring the intestines and absorbing toxins so these toxins can be removed from the body. Meat is hard on the digestive system. Most animals that eat meat sleep for a week after their meal. I can't afford to do that, so I try to eat animal protein earlier in the day when hydrochloric acid is stronger and my body has more time to digest it.

 Did you know that your intestines are your "second brain" and an incredible number of communications and activities take place there? Your intestines are the heart of your immune system, are responsible for absorption of nutrients and the removal of toxins. 100 trillion microorganisms live in your intestines. For optimal health, there needs to be a balance in the types of microorganisms. Antibiotics upset this balance by killing the healthy bacteria that keeps yeast in check. Taking a good pre- and probiotic can help restore this balance. (I use Life 5 from Young Living.) Pro-biotics help to colonize the intestines with good bacteria that is needed for completing digestion and also for hundreds of other jobs that take place in the intestines. Eating fermented foods like kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut can also help encourage good bacteria in the gut.

Taking probiotics just before bed will allow the bacteria to get settled before food begins coming through again the next day. Also, try not to eat 3 hours before bed. This may improve the depth or quality of your sleep as your body is not trying to finish digestion and sleep at the same time.

These are just a few simple recommendations that might benefit your gut health. Improving digestive health can have a profound impact of the health of the rest of the body, from brain to liver, from skin to heart.

What tips do you have for digestive health?