Digestion is the first thing to look at regarding one’s health. If your digestion isn’t working well, then you cannot expect everything else to be functioning optimally.
Digestion is so important because although some may say “you are what you eat” others, more correctly will say “you are what you absorb”. You may be eating a very healthy diet, but if you are not absorbing nutrients, then it doesn’t matter what you are eating.
SYMPTOMS OF BAD DIGESTION
If you feel bloated, have too much gas (either belching or flatulence), are uncomfortable after eating, or if you have diarrhea or constipation or both, then you may benefit from some of the things I am going to suggest a little later in this article.
A lot of people have digestive problems because of past antibiotic use. In my opinion doctors should tell patients they prescribe antibiotics to that they need to replenish their friendly gut bacteria after a course of antibiotics. Antibiotic literally means anti life and they kill ALL the bacteria in your gut, not just the bad stuff. So it is imperative that one replaces the good bacteria. There are several things one can do to relieve digestive issues and relieve constipation naturally. In my own personal experience I used a probiotic for 3 months and they helped incredibly. Now I know this can be quite expensive, however, a good quality probiotic can work wonders. A friend of mine was having problems with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and I suggested they take a particular probiotic. About two months later I had not heard from them, so I called to find out how they were feeling. They told me that is was a miracle, all the symptoms were gone and they felt great! So please do not disregard the power of a high quality probiotic. If you cannot afford to take them for three months, then try for a month and then move on to probiotic foods. There are many different types of probiotics on the market. There should be at least 50 billion or more in the one you choose.
PROBIOTIC FOODS
Sauerkraut is a great probiotic food, however, there are many more. Kefir is a popular one, it is similar to yogurt and is usually made with milk, however, some people would rather not use dairy and you can make a coconut kefir probiotic with a starter that can either be bought at your local health food store or online. You can also buy yogurt starters and make your own yogurt. If you buy yogurt please make sure there is no sugar in the one you buy. Yogurts with fruits and flavourings have sugar added and are not beneficial, use only plain and it is always better to make it yourself. Miso is another one, use a miso paste not a powder. Rejuvelac is fermented grain drink and a fabulous probiotic and can be made easily, see below. I have made Rejuvelac many times and always get great results.
REJUVELAC
2 cup wheat berries (you can also use brown rice, quinoa, rye or buckwheat)
6 cups water
Place the wheat berries or whatever grain you are using into a large mason jar with a screen or cheesecloth over the top. Fill with water and soak the grains for 24 hours. Rinse and leave them to sprout. Rinse them twice a day until sprouts begin to form. Once they are obviously sprouting, rinse once more and then leave them in the mason jar with 6 cups of water. Leave them for two days. Then it will be ready to drink. It should look a little cloudy, possibly with some bubbles and have a slightly sour lemony flavour. Strain off the rejuvelac into another container and keep in the fridge with a lid on, (it should stay good for between 5 days to a week). Then add water again to the grain and you can make more rejuvelac, the second batch only takes 1 day. Make sure that it smells and tastes fresh, it is very refreshing and really aids digestion.
Bibliography
www.rawmazing.com
Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski Random House 2012
www.growyouthful.com
