Getting that good gut feeling

Our hardworking digestive tracts tirelessly convert everything we ingest into the essential components our bodies require to survive. But we aren’t always ingesting enough of what we need (and sometimes, too much of what we don’t).

Here are some signs that digestive trouble is brewing:

• Acid reflux and GERD
• Gas and bloating
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Gallstones
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Luckily, there are a number of natural ways you can help protect and enhance your digestive health.

Eat gut-friendly foods
Increasing fibre intake can promote regularity, help control sugar levels, aid in the maintenance of a healthy weight, feed your good gut bacteria and support the ab-sorption of nutrients. Foods rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C can also help maintain the health of your digestive tract. Avoiding things like processed meats, alcohol and white, “enriched” grain products is also a good idea.

Get a move on
Exercise does the body good. And that includes the gut. Becoming and staying physically active can help lower your risk of digestive problems, such as constipation. When you exercise, you improve the blood flow in your body and help to keep your digestive tract moving. Gentle yoga poses are another way to help increase blood flow to the bowels, reduce stress and inflammation and help strengthen intestines.

Choose a healthy supplement
When we’re born, our guts are gleaming examples of good flora. But that changes quickly once we’re exposed to life’s multitude of bacte-ria (both good and bad). Consuming digestive enzyme supplements may help your body to break down and absorb foods’ nutrients more efficiently. A good probi-otic like Sisu Integris can help support beneficial intestinal flora to repair damage and restore gas-trointestinal health.

We’re often writing about gut health and the mind-body connection, so you can read more on gut health here.