World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) is celebrated each year on 29th May with associated events, activities, and initiatives continuing throughout and beyond the campaign year. Set up by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), this day seeks to raise awareness of digestive health – this year’s WDHD theme is Your Digestive Health: Make It A Priority. It’s a sentiment that we couldn’t agree with more here at Just For Tummies. Your gut is the number one priority for quality of life and longevity – its health can affect the health of all your other systems.
Let’s look more closely at a few reasons why you need to make your digestive and gut health a priority.
We put things in our stomach without thinking about how it affects us, then we go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money trying to correct the issues we started when we neglected it. Everything you are comes from your digestive tract, except for the oxygen we breathe and the minimal things we absorb through our skin. The rest of it must come through your GI tract.
Do you realise that the walls of your stomach and GI tract are responsible for most of your nutrient absorption? If you eat the wrong kinds of food, or have a life full of toxic stress, you could be destroying the lining of your stomach, which can wreak havoc on your absorption. When your stomach lining is damaged, you may not be getting enough of the good things, all the while letting in the dangerous things. Your GI tract is a giant facility that houses numerous valuable assets to your health – around 80% of your immune system resides in your guts with billions, possibly trillions, of beneficial bacteria that help in digestion and immunity.
If you aren’t eating the right things, and eating too many of the wrong things, you can evict the ‘good tenants’ and bring in the unwelcome tenants like candida, which cause many issues with your gut health. Hormone imbalance, bad bacteria growth, bad absorption, and many other problems can begin with your gut health.
To switch your brain from stressed mode into rest and digest mode before you eat, you can try box breathing – first, you inhale and count to five very slowly. Then you pause, count to five. Then exhale, count to five. Pause again and without any breathing, count to five. You need to do five breaths like this, and you will be switched into a rest-and-digest state.
So, what do we do?
Well, the first step is correcting any issues you may have. And depending on severity, it can range from an extreme action like a leaky gut diet, or in the case of no prior damage, just adopting better habits that keep your gut in good shape.
Make sure there is diversity in the foods that you eat
Thirty plants a week is just an example of a target you can work towards meeting. High-fibre, complex-carb plants are the best for your gut. It’s a lot easier than you think to consume 30 plants a week. These plants provide your gut with the fibres and polyphenols it needs to feed all the different microbes in your gut.
Chew your food
Chew your food at least 40 times, mindfully (meaning, not while looking at a screen or a device). Your digestion starts in your mouth – so take time to appreciate each mouthful of whatever you are eating. Chewing gives your digestive enzymes and juices a chance to break the food down efficiently.
Combat stress by breathing before eating
When you’re stressed, you don’t digest well, because your body is producing cortisol, a hormone that makes your body prepared to either fight an enemy or to run away, with digestion becoming less of a priority. Cortisol will divert your blood away from your digestive organs and send it to your muscles so you can fight better or run faster.
To switch your brain from stressed mode into rest and digest mode before you eat, you can try box breathing – first, you inhale and count to five very slowly. Then you pause, count to five. Then exhale, count to five. Pause again and without any breathing, counting to five. You need to do five breaths like this, and you will be switched into a rest-and-digest state.
Minimise processed foods
Chemicals are damaging to your gut. All the additives and artificial sweeteners found in processed food are chronic stressors for your gut. Try to get most of your nutrients from real, whole foods. Limit processed meats, ready-made meals, carbonated drinks, and anything from the snack aisle!
Try intermittent fasting
I swear by intermittent fasting – when I can, I time my meals within an 8-hour window, but you can also do a 12-hour window if this suits you better. If you think about your stomach as almost like a dumping ground for food, you have to give that ground time to replenish and re-nourish itself. Allow it to process the food that it’s been given, digest and then flourish.
Personally, my first meal of the day doesn’t happen until 12 o’clock noon some days. Sometimes I will go to the gym and do a workout on an empty stomach and feel fine. This doesn’t mean I eat less; I just fit all my meals into a condensed amount of time. I don’t eat after 6pm if I can help it, but if I have to, I always take one of our Digestive Enzymes tablets before the meal. I have a pretty robust digestive system, but then you would expect that with the industry I’m in. If I can’t sort out my own digestive health and maintain it, then how can I advise people on how to heal theirs?
Take probiotic supplements
I recommend taking a daily probiotic like our Live Bacteria capsules for life. I have done so for over 30 years now and I won’t compromise on this. There are so many things that impact our gut in a negative way, including stress, pollution, and pesticides, that giving the gut a helping hand is a must in our modern world. Alongside supplementing with probiotics, try to also consume fermented foods to further support your unique bacterial colony. Even just a small portion of fermented foods will increase the microbiome in your gut. The best examples are kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir. My advice is to have these regularly as opposed to a large amount in one go. Your gut needs time to adapt, allowing time for these new probiotics to settle.
Try apple cider vinegar
A shot of apple cider vinegar in a bit of water or a Digestive Enzymes tablet before you eat can really help your digestion by increasing the digestive juices and enzymes that are needed to break down carbs, fat and protein.
Stay active
Movement is great for your gut. What’s even better is moving outside since sunlight and vitamin D will improve your health in every way. Try incorporating mindful walks into your week alongside your strength and resistance training. Prioritise sleep and recovery just as much as movement. You want to bring down chronic stress levels that impede your gut health. When the brain is calm, the gut follows through.
Remember that compromised gut health doesn’t just affect your physical health, including your skin, hair and nails, but as auto-intoxication spreads through the entire body, personality changes can also take place with mood swings, irritability and aggressive behaviour. A healthy digestive system prevents the body and the soul from turning sour!
If you would like to know more about a digestive and gut health supplement protocol, please get in touch.
