"Bad digestion is the root of all evil." Hippocrates, 4th century BC.
Do you suffer from an irritable bowel, fatigue, anxiety, depression, food allergies, brain fog, sugar cravings, skin problems or weight gain? Poor digestion may be contributing to your symptoms.
Poor digestion is a common problem I see among patients, much of which is contributed to by stress. So while you can start by eating all the right foods for optimal health, unless you have good digestion, those foods won’t actually be doing you much good.
Stress hormones directly affect your digestion. When your body is in fight-or-flight mode, it thinks you don’t have time to rest and digest. During periods of stress, blood and energy are diverted away from your digestive system and can cause cramping, inflammation and an imbalance in gut bacteria. These symptoms can further develop into gastrointestinal disorders such as: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), peptic ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
So while digestion might not be something we think of very often, it is fundamental to our overall health, influencing our mood, hormones and immune system. Our digestive organs also acts as a type of switchboard or communication centre to and from the brain, and functions as one of the body’s frontlines in the fight against disease.
The good news is, there are plenty of ways you can improve your digestion and overall health. Start with these:
- Reduce stress – try deep belly breathing, meditation or yoga.
- Eat mindfully – sit down to eat and pay attention to all aspects of your food: the smell, the taste, the texture and the process of eating, to get your digestive juices flowing.
- Chew your food – digestion starts in your mouth. Your teeth break down the food into smaller pieces so that the enzymes in your digestive tract are better able to break it down.
- Get moving – exercise and gravity help food travel through your digestive system.
- Listen to your body – they say it takes 20 minutes for your brain to realise that your stomach is full so, eat slowly and pay attention to how full you’re getting.
Then add in a natural digestive aid, like:
- Wildfire Daily Tonic – a rich and fiery blend of apple cider vinegar, fermented root herbs and raw vegetables. Apple cider vinegar increases the acidity of the stomach which helps the body produce more pepsin, the enzyme that breaks down proteins. It also contains beneficial probiotics, is anti-vrial, anti-bacterial, helps improve circulation and boosts the immune system.
- Fire in your Belly – a carefully crafted blend of herbs including peppermint, ginger, turmeric and rosemary, designed to soothe digestive complaints and relax the digestive system while relieving symptoms, such as gas, bloating and indigestion. Rosemary stimulates appetite and improves gastric tone, allowing food to be more easily digested while turmeric works as an anti-inflammatory to relive pain and increase the secretion of digestive enzymes.
To pick up a bottle of Wildfire Tonic or Fire in your Belly, or for more information on digestive health please stop by the shop or make an appointment with us today.