Do you feel like your food is just sitting in your stomach for hours after you eat?
Or is the opposite happening, and you are running to the bathroom before you have even finished your meal?
You are not alone, and there are things you can do improve the situation.
I have suffered from digestive problems myself for most of my life and have various intolerances to different food groups which is quite common in this day and age.
So it’s worth keeping a food diary to see how different food affects your digestion.
And most of the time you just need to stick to a strict healing diet for a few months or sometimes even for a few years before you can really heal your digestion.
I recently got diagnosed with celiac disease and after 3 months of sticking to a strict healing diet my digestion still wasn’t healed enough to eat some gluten free bread and gluten free cakes. So I’m now back on my healing diet, and I’m aiming for 2 years this time!
Here are ten steps that I am doing myself and I’m sharing these to help you to also get things moving properly through your gut:
1. Food Combining – When foods are combined properly, they do not sit in your stomach and rot. That rotting food feeds the bad bacteria and yeast that everyone has residing in their digestive tract. To combine food, you eat protein with vegetables or grains with vegetables, never proteins & grains together. And in fact, if you really want to heal your digestion, you’re probably better off avoiding grains altogether because they are very hard to digest.
2. Fermented Foods – These are naturally fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, etc., that, when eaten, will feed the good bacteria in your gut and balance your inner ecology. I’ve just started making sauerkraut again which is so easy to make and so so good for you. I use this recipe which is delicious and very economic! If you don’t want to make your own you could always buy some (about 10x the price of making it yourself) and if you are going to buy some, make sure you buy raw sauerkraut or it won’t have the beneficial bacteria present. You can get some raw sauerkraut here.
3. Enzymes and Probiotics – I suggest that everyone take digestive enzymes and probiotics to help with the digestion of their food and build up their immunity. Enzymes really do help you avoid digestive discomfort when you’re eating and they’re actually good for you – unlike antacids! I use this brand of digestive enzymes and this brand of probiotics.
4. Water – We all know we need to drink plenty of water. A little known Ayurvedic trick is to drink a glass of water 15 minutes before your meal. This will get your digestive juices flowing and your food will get digested better. Also make sure your water is as pure as you can by using a structured water filter. This is the water filter that I own. Or you can remove all of the impurities with a reverse osmosis system.
5. 80/20 – This rule is to eat until you are 80% full. That leaves 20% of the room left in your stomach for your digestion to work. No one likes that uncomfortable full feeling and your tummy will thank you if you stop just before you are full.
6. Eat Loads of Fiber – Your body needs fiber to carry out toxins, excess hormones, and junk. Eating lots of water-soluble fiber, found in veggies, will ensure that you get plenty of fiber. Just don’t forget step #4! Drink lots of water, too, so that you don’t end up with bulky stool.
7. Short Fasting Period – Don’t worry, I am not suggesting that you don’t eat for a day. What I am suggesting is that you take some time between meals. Give your system about 3 or 4 hours to let the food get assimilated. When your gut is constantly bombarded by food all day long, it gets confused and doesn’t work properly. Give it some time to work on that last meal before you head to the kitchen for a snack. When you eat a healthy balanced diet your blood sugar will stabilise and you’ll find it much easier to last from one meal to another without snacking. I used to have to snack all the time but now I rarely snack.
8. Cut Sugar and White Carbohydrates – These foods will feed the bad guys in your gut. Avoid them for less gas and bloating – and you don’t want the insulin spike that comes with them either. The Leaf System diet is free from sugar and white carbs, gluten and dairy.
9. Gluten – A large percentage of people are gluten intolerant and do not know it. Try going without and see if your digestion works any better. It worked for me before I knew I had celiac disease.
10. Bone Broth – The #1 most soothing and healing drink that you could ever ingest. Homemade bone broth contains all of the nutrients you need to heal your gut if it is leaky and also provides the minerals you need for strong bones. It’s a win-win, must-consume food! I have a great bone broth recipe in The Leaf System, or if you don’t have time to make bone broth, you can buy some grass fed bone broth here.
If you incorporate some or all of the tips, you will ease into better digestion and the tummy troubles will disappear.
And if you want to completely heal your digestion I suggest you follow The Leaf System for at least 1 month and notice the difference.
You can get a month’s worth of FREE recipes that are delicious, made from scratch, quick to make AND calorie counted to help you lose weight. They are all gluten free, dairy free, processed food free and a choice of meat based or vegan meal plans.
Click here to get your FREE month’s meal plans.
Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies
Read Katherine's inspiring comeback story, From Fat and Fatigued To Lean and Loving Life In 4 Months.
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Hi, I'm Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies - my original green smoothie concept.
Read my inspiring comeback story, 
Hi, I’m Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies – my original smoothie concept.
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