Are digestive symptoms such as nausea, bloating, flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, and reflux, just a normal part of your day? Proper digestion and bowel elimination is the foundation of good health. The gut is involved in the breakdown of food, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of wastes via the bowel. If it is not functioning efficiently, it can impact the overall health of the body leading to nutrients deficiencies, toxicity and a whole range of symptoms such as those listed above. Read on to find out how you can support your bowel and my top 4 teas that you can incorporate into your day to alleviate these digestive symptoms.
Focussing on a healthy, wholefood diet is essential and often the starting point for many experiencing tummy troubles. Avoiding all of the foods that we know are not good for us- including refined & processed foods; poor quality fats; refined sugar and additives (including preservatives & flavourings) is a good start BUT only one part of it! It is essential for us to look at the way we eat. There are so many simple habits that we can change that will provide a huge benefit to the health of our gut and I have listed these top tips below.
Sarita's Top 8 Tips for Proper Digestion:
1. Don’t Overeat
Never eat until you have a “full” stomach. The breakdown of food and assimilation of nutrients is a lot more efficient when we eat small amounts of food more often.
2. Chew Your Food
It is essential that food is chewed properly in the mouth, as this is where digestion starts. Saliva (an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrate) that is produced in the mouth needs time to act on carbohydrate in food before it travels further along the digestive tract.
3. Don’t Eat when you are Stressed
Digestion is best when eating in a relaxed environment. When we are stressed, our body puts all its energy into dealing with this and digestion becomes secondary. If we eat during these stressful times, food can sit and ferment in the gut and cause symptoms, such as bloating and flatulence.
4. Drink Water Away from Meals
Drinking chilled water not only dilutes your digestive secretions, it causes contraction in the digestive tract, thereby weakening digestion. Drink water that is either warm or at room temperature 20-30 minutes away from meals. Instead of water at meal times, consider Digest and Oolong tea.
5. Include Bitter Tasting Foods and Drinks in your Diet
The bitter taste in foods and drinks stimulates the secretion of digestive juices in the digestive tract. Some bitter tasting drinks that can assist with digestion include: plain lemon/lime juice in water; lemon, lime and bitters; or BBTC’s Green, Oolong, Dandylicious or Digest tea. Bitter greens such as endive and rocket can also assist.
6. Avoid Eating Late at Night
Our digestive capability is greatest in the first half of the day from 5am until 3pm and lowest at night. Eating late when the digestive secretion are low means that food can sit and ferment in the gut and cause symptoms of bloating, flatulence and a “heavy” or “groggy” feeling the next day.
7. Diet & Cooking Tips
If you have weak digestion, it is best to include both raw and cooked foods in your diet and add aromatic herbs and spices to your cooking to stimulate the digestive juices and assist with the breakdown of food. Including fermented foods such as Kombucha and Kimchi also has great benefits to help improve the gut flora.
8. Drink Digestive Teas
My favourites to assist with digestion are Digest, Dandylicious, Green and Oolong and these have all been bundled together into the Tummy Tonic Gift Collection where you will save over 10% on these beauties that all assist in supporting digestion.
-1.jpg?width=4490&height=2989&name=30_GIFT-COLLECTION-1_Tummy-Tonic%20(1)-1.jpg)
Bundle & Save
My top 4 favourite digestive teas including Digest, Dandylicious, Green and Oolong have been bundled together into the Tummy Tonic Gift Collection where you will save 10% and get a free drawstring bag.
Price- $82.95 (normally $95.80)
These contain our top 4 teas to assist with these health issues and are bundled together so you can save 10%- and includes a free drawstring bag!
Enjoy
