enzymes

Enzymes and Probiotics for Digestive Health

by

This time of year can be rough on our digestive systems with rich foods and drinks, plus an extra dose of stress which can cause digestive distress with even the best of diets. It’s no wonder January is the time for resolutions and high motivation, because as fun as celebrating and indulgence can be, if it makes us feel unwell, we innately want to heal ourselves. It seems to just be human nature. Actually, more like nature nature, or life nature, or however you want to call it because it’s not just humans who intuitively curl up and focus on healing when they need to. We don’t have to hermit ourselves away in a cave with nuts and berries though, we can get through the season of indulgence with a little less bloating and a little more health with a couple of natural helpers: enzymes and probiotics.

Enzymes are found in our bodies, saliva, and fresh fruits and vegetables. They are one of the main reasons raw foodists (those on a raw foods diet) tout eating raw foods only. Cooking kills enzymes, and certainly processing and packaging does as well. Needless to say, most of us do not get the quantity of enzymes that we used to in our diets, nor enough to keep our digestive system working optimally. You may have heard about enzymes in regards to juicing as well, because fresh juice has a bunch of them, but then they quickly die off which is why fresh juice is supposed to be so much better than bottled juice. Enzymes can also be taken in supplement form, or bitters can be taken to encourage your own body to produce its own enzymes before eating. Both forms of supplementation should be taken before meals, usually about ten minutes before eating is optimal. There are different kinds of enzymes, so if you want a broad array, pick one with many listed, or if you are interested in just one or two for specific reasons, such as lactase to break down lactose, you can find those as well. Personally, I like Rainbow Light’s enzymes because they have a broad spectrum and additional herbs to help digestion.

Bitters usually come in a dropper or spray form, and the taste is important so you leave the liquid in your mouth a few seconds before swallowing. My favorite are Herb Pharm’s classic Better Bitters. If you suffer from food intolerances, even just mild ones, enzymes and/or bitters supplementation can help. Enzymes help break down the food so the digestive system can handle it properly and assimilate it optimally. Too large of pieces slow down the digestion, resulting in buildup and bloating. When you take in enzymes, or use bitters, you are priming your body for the work it needs to do, and assisting it.

Probiotics work deeper down in the digestive tract and should be taken after meals or between meals. Probiotics are the good bacteria in the intestines which help break down food there, and help keep the bad bacteria and yeast in check. Probiotics are talked about in terms of balance because the correct flora balance in the intestines is key to good health throughout the body. It is always important to take probiotics after a round of antibiotics because those kill probiotics and upset the flora balance in the intestines, which can lead to bad bacteria or yeast (candida) taking hold. Probiotics are found in fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, yogurt, and kimchi. Eating and drinking these foods can be helpful, but most western diets have a negative cumulative effect on the good intestinal flora in the first place from eating too many processed foods and not enough fresh foods which contain prebiotics that the probiotics need to survive and thrive. And of course sugar has a negative impact on intestinal flora by fueling the harmful bacteria and yeast.

A balanced intestinal environment leads to healthy digestion with less bloating and gas, and improved immune system. It has also been linked to better mental and emotional health with the gut being named ‘the second brain’. As with enzymes, there are many types that can be taken in a pill, so picking one with a broad array of strains and a high potency is recommended. Many people change brands each time they buy a new bottle in order to introduce the broadest spectrum of probiotics to their bodies, but if you find one that works well for you, there is no need to abandon it. My two favorites are Vsl3 and Visbiome. The one pictured above with given to me as a sample and is focused primarily on the immune system.

There are other digestive helpers out there, but these are a great place to start to get through the richness of the holiday season which can be especially tough on those with food intolerances or other digestive issues.

Stay healthy and enjoy the season.

Natural Bloat Busters to Always Have on Hand (and You Probably Already Do)

by

The discomfort of trying to sleep with a bloated stomach is terrible. It’s always evening and nighttime too when the bloat is at its worst, after all the meals have been eaten and certain foods throughout the day trigger our digestive systems to retaliate. Bloating is often caused by food intolerances, but can also be caused by other things such as eating too fast or too much. We often know what will bloat us~ dairy, beans, wheat, soy, or some other food or food group that we know we personally should avoid but sometimes we just can’t. It’s hard when food is such a communal activity and you don’t have a true allergy as an excuse to avoid certain foods, and sometimes it’s a favorite food and we just eat it anyway and hope for the best. There are some things that can be done in prep of those trigger foods though, and things that can be taken after eating the foods, or even later when the bloating is intense and maybe you don’t even know what triggered it.

Before you eat, enzymes can be taken to help break down your food. A broad spectrum enzyme will cover all the bases, but if you have one particular food group that is your personal trigger, you can take an enzyme supplement that targets that specific food. Some examples are: for gluten and casein intolerances take these, this one for lactose intolerance, or for beans, this one can help.

You can also take herbs called bitters to help stimulate the body’s natural enzyme production. You should take both bitters and enzymes about 10 minutes before you eat. Enzymes can also be found in fresh produce, so having fresh fruit and/or vegetables at every meal will also help with digestion. You can also prepare your stomach for work by drinking a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother) in a cup of water before eating. Doing so can also help ease heartburn issues for some people.

Right after a meal, you can eat about a nickle-size amount of fennel seeds to help digest your food, or mix some fennel essential oil into a base oil like sweet almond oil or sesame seed oil, and rub that on your stomach. (Five drops of essential oil in 1 tsp. of base oil.) Fennel is also the main ingredient in Gaia Herbs’ Gas and Bloating tea. Traditional Medicinals has a helpful tea too called Gas Relief. Having a soothing herbal tea on hand to sip after meals is a nice way to fight the discomfort of bloating.

Probiotics can make a huge difference in how well you digest your meals. Taking them regularly will help keep your microbiome in optimal shape, but taking them right after eating possible trigger foods is especially important. It’s a good idea to switch brands to get a wide spectrum of probiotic strains in your system, but if you find one that works really well for you, stick with it. My all time favorite is VSL-3 and I highly recommend it if you suffer from IBS, colitis, or have had multiple rounds of antibiotics in your lifetime. My kids like Rainbow Light’s probiotic gummies.

If those don’t work, you can use activated charcoal to make the bloating go away. This is not something to use all the time though, because it soaks up not only the bloating agents, but also the good nutrition, so only use it when you have tried other things first. It really does help one to get to sleep though if you have a bad case of the bloats keeping you up at night. Activated charcoal is also something you can use if you suspect food poisoning, so it really is a good supplement to have on hand at all times.

Some people get relief from food intolerance issues by drinking kombucha daily. This hasn’t been a magic bullet in my family like it has with some other people I know, although we do drink kombucha, we still need other digestive aides to tackle our multiple food issues here at times. We are much better than we used to be, but dairy, soy, and many other beans still cause problems. If your food intolerances are mild, adding kombucha to your days just might be all it takes to keep you bloat-free and pain free.

Digestive discomfort can be such a nuisance, so it’s nice to know there are things that can help ease the issue, especially when it’s disrupting sleep. Thanks for reading and please share with anyone who might need some tips on keeping away their ‘bloat baby’.