Summer is here and that means lots of outside fun – trail rides, picnics, vacations, road trips, swimming, rafting and all the fun in the sun things you like to do. But these activities won’t be much fun or won’t happen at all if you are plagued with constipation or diarrhea. You don’t have to let digestive problems ruin your summer plans though. Just a few simple tips can help you have a fun summer.
Support Your Friendly Bacteria
An important aspect of a healthy digestive system is having a good balance of friendly bacteria or probiotics in the gut. These not only help with digestion, clean up toxins in the body, and help rid the body of waste, but also help fight off bad bacteria that can make you sick. Without a good balance of probiotics you can have gas, bloating, cramping, constipation, or diarrhea. Eating fermented foods with live active cultures such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha tea, unpasteurized miso, fermented pickles, kimchi, tempeh, pickled ginger, cured Greek olives, kefir, buttermilk, raw apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and any kind of vegetables, grains or beans that have been fermented and that have live micro-organisms is one way to add probiotics to your digestive system. Another way is with high quality probiotic supplements such as acidophilus, bifidus, or a full-spectrum probiotic.
You can also support your friendly bacteria by avoiding sugar filled foods, fried foods, processed foods, junk food, and fast food that can kill them off and that feed bad bacteria and yeast in your digestive system. Too much yeast in the intestines can lead to a whole new set of problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Candida, Fibromyalgia, yeast infections, migraines, weight gain and more. How you eat can also be important to good digestion. Make sure you eat slowly and chew food well, don’t eat when you are upset, don’t skip meals, and eat foods that are full of fiber and easy to digest. Watch how much protein you eat at one time too as this can cause putrefaction where intestinal bacteria turns to toxic gases and chemicals. Another good digestive tip is to not drink with a meal. Either drink water 10 minutes before your meal or wait until an hour after you eat because drinking while eating reduces the chemicals needed for digestion. Be sure to drink lots of water between meals though.
More Digestion Support
There are other benefits of supporting your digestive system and having a healthy balance of probiotics that will help you have a great summer. Digestion takes a lot of the body’s energy that could be used for physical and mental activities. Foods that don’t have enough enzymes cause the digestive system to have to work harder. Taking a high quality enzyme supplement with enzymes such as amylase, cellulase, lipase, protease, and lactase can help your digestive system perform at its optimal level.
I hope you have a wonderful and fun summer planned and that some of these tips will help you feel your best and help you avoid the digestive problems that can ruin it.
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Sources:
http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/digestive-problems
http://www.examiner.com/article/top-5-causes-of-poor-digestion
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/06/what-you-need-to-understand-about-your-digestive-system-to-improve-your-health.aspx
http://drlwilson.com/articles/DIGESTION.htm
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-disease-eating-healthy
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/digestive-health-aging