Digestive Wellness-How did I get like this?

By Mindy Kannon –

If you are living with digestive issues, you have experienced at least one of the many symptoms that are telling you that something is just not right in your gut. It could be flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, excessive belching, abdominal pain, acid reflux, indigestion or bloating.

These are some of the more obvious signs. You may also experience migraines, skin rashes, brain fog, fatigue, unintentional weight gain or loss and problems with your immune system and not even realize that these too may be traceable back to an unhealthy digestive tract.

So how did you get here? Everything we do affects how our digestive system works. More than 70% of our immune system is located near our gut. When something goes awry it jumps into action. Here are a few of the more common reasons that we become unhealthy.

Women are two times more likely to develop digestive problems than men. Hormonal imbalance during perimenopause is one the primary causes for digestive problems for women between the ages of 45 and 55.

Over the counter pain relievers (NSAIDS) block prostaglandins, small chemical messengers that stimulate repair and thus are a direct cause of leaky gut syndrome, food sensitivities, inflammatory problems such as arthritis and eczema. Antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria but the good ones also. This allows pathogenic microbes, viruses and fungi to take hold.

Sugary processed and high fat foods as well as tobacco have a huge affect on how our system operates. Sugary, highly processed foods are empty calorie foods and also have a detrimental effect on any existing digestive problems. Simple sugars feed Candida, bacteria and parasites.

If you smoke you need to make sure that you take a good antioxidant supplement and vitamin C to compensate for the stress that tobacco causes. If you consume too much fat and hydrogenated oil your cell membranes become stiff and stifle the intake of nutrients and excretion of wastes and promote free radicals activity that contributes to atherosclerosis and inflammatory diseases.

The lack of dietary fiber leads to all types of digestive illnesses. Fiber acts as a broom and sweeps the intestines. The longer waste sits in our systems the greater the chances that gut ailments will occur. The average person consumes 12 grams of fiber daily. This amount falls far short of the recommendation of 20 to 30 grams and is half of what people 150 years ago ate. Fiber rich foods help us manufacture short-chained fatty acids which prevent diseases of the colon.

The food we eat is seriously depleted of nutrients. Transporting foods over long distances diminishes food’s life-giving capacity. Our food lacks the essential enzymes that are critical to digestion and metabolism. Most of our food is hybridized. Its nutrient value is often sacrificed for pesticide resistance, ease of transportation and appearance.

Food Additives can seriously affect our digestive well-being. More than 3,000 food additives are used in the U.S. These include dyes, artificial flavors, dough conditioners, texturing agents, anti-caking agents and many other additives that extend shelf life, enhance flavor, appearance, consistency and texture. The average person eats an alarming fourteen pounds of additives each year. Wow!

Lifestyle has a strong affect on the health of our body. Exercise is a great stress reducer and enhances the health of our whole system. With excessive stress comes poor food choices that lead to a reduction of nutrients, at a time when nutrients are needed the most. Chronic stress can also wear out the adrenal glands and perpetuate the cycle of sugar cravings and consumption leading to more problems.

Up to this point you may have been absolutely convinced that digestive problems are something that you have to live with. This is just not so. You must be mindful when it comes to choosing the food that you will eat, the lifestyle you live and the amount of toxins that you are exposed to daily. Our body has a wonderful way of healing itself when fed whole clean food and provided a clean living environment and a balanced lifestyle.

You deserve to be Healthy!

Mindy Kannon is a Holistic Digestive Health Coach. She is a passionate foodie that previously worked as a natural foods personal chef. She has a BA from Pennsylvania State University in Social and Behavioral Sciences and is a Certified Holistic Health Coach through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Her mission is to help busy women achieve good digestive health, with food they are passionate about and a balanced lifestyle. She coaches individual clients throughout the country and offers small group telecoaching programs and digestive membership clubs that will help you regain your health, energy and zest for life. You deserve to be Healthy! For more information or to join in the delicious fun, go to her website at: http://www.mindykannon.com/.