The Summer school holidays are almost upon us. If you’re going on holiday soon, I wish you a very happy, relaxing time and I hope that if you do have a ‘delicate’ tummy, it behaves itself! If you need any advice how to manage this when on holiday, without suffering with bloating, cramps and impromptu sprints to the loo, please get in touch.
Over the years I’ve lost count of the number of enquiries I’ve received from people whose diets had become more and more restricted because of increasing digestive and gut upsets, particularly IBS-type symptoms such as bloating, cramps, irregular bowel movements and acid reflux.
Over the past ten years, a huge industry has developed, with a range of manufacturers offering ‘free-from’ products to try and meet the needs of people who are having an adverse reaction to gluten, dairy, the onion family, including garlic and leeks, and many other food groups. I don’t count Coeliac disease in this category though. Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease, where gluten attacks the lining of the gut and is quite different to an intolerance or a sensitivity to a food.
Have you ever thought though, why are more and more people becoming intolerant to foods that a few years ago they were able to eat, without any digestive upset? Well I have given it lots and lots of thought, as you can imagine, being in the profession that I’m in, and let me tell you that you can most certainly go back to eating and enjoying foods that were previously on your ‘banned’ list.
A lovely lady called Kate contacted me a few months ago, telling me how fed up she was of not being able to enjoy some of her favourite foods due to increasing digestive and gut problems every time she did. Kate won’t mind me telling you that she is an epicurean, a lover of fine food and drink and this gives her great pleasure. I explained to Kate that as we age, our digestive system and gut ages with us, and this can result in a depletion in stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes and bile. This can create a weakened digestive system, where bloating, cramps, irregular bowel movements, acid reflux become the norm every time food that was previously accepted by the digestive system, is eaten.
However, it’s not just an ageing digestive system that can have such an impact. Every time you have a course of antibiotics, take steroids, antacid medications or opioid-based pain-killers, these drugs have the potential to affect the delicate balance of digestive ‘juices’ and bacteria needed to properly digest your food, absorb your nutrients and eliminate your wastes.
The solution – simples! Just put back what is lacking with vegan digestive enzyme tablets and vegan ‘friendly’ live bacteria AKA probiotic capsules, and miraculously foods previously on your banned list, can be enjoyed again.
I received this missive recently from Kate:
‘Small things can mean so much!
Achievements this week (all homemade):
Fresh tuna salad with onion, radishes, watercress and spinach salad with a dressing of oil, soy, mirin and rice vinegar
Stir fry with rice noodles, mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage, onions, carrots and peanut satay sauce
Chicken tikka masala (containing garlic and chilli!)
As a bit of a foodie with a lifelong (from my mother) love of food and good nutrition, I can’t tell you how happy this has made me after a period of an upset digestive system caused by medication. Pre-Live Bacteria days many of the ingredients in these dishes would have not have been tolerable!
Hugest thanks again to Linda Booth and the Live Bacteria and Digestive Enzymes – they are life-changing!’
So why not try this. Take one of my Live Bacteria capsules just before breakfast and one just before bed, and one of my Digestive Enzyme tablets just before lunch and one just before dinner. Get a pot of each and try it for 30 days, and see the difference it makes. Contact me in a month and let me know how you’re feeling. I’d love to get some feedback from you. If you react to certain foods, with bloating, cramps, acid reflux or irregular bowel movements, please don’t think this is forever, because it may not be.
www.justfortummies.co.uk
