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Millions of people suffer from digestive problems, from heartburn to irritable bowel syndrome. In many cases, doctors try to figure out what is wrong with a person’s digestive system when they should be focusing on what is wrong with the food the person is eating. Many common digestive problems can be cured almost immediately by changing your diet.

If your diet contains some of the ten worst foods for digestive health, reducing or eliminating these foods from your diet can provide immediate relief. Start minimizing the role these foods play in your diet, and you may start to see your symptoms vanish almost overnight.

Gluten is a protein that is found in many grains, such as wheat and rye. It can be hard to digest for many people and can cause bloating and inflammation in the intestines. Fortunately, there are many gluten-free alternatives that are now available at your grocery store.

Dairy products, including milk, butter, and cream, can be very hard to digest for many people. Millions of people are lactose-intolerant, meaning that their bodies can’t digest the lactose found in milk. Some people are also allergic to the proteins in milk.

While soy is a popular ingredient in many foods, it can also cause digestive problems. Too much soy can result in cramps and bloating by irritating the small intestine.

Everyone should know that too much sugar is bad for you, but it does not just play havoc with your blood sugar levels. It can also cause digestive problems. Reducing the sugar in your diet can be a very good way to keep your problems to a minimum.

While beans contain a lot of healthy fiber and protein, they also contain compounds that can be difficult to digest. If you tend to feel gassy or bloated after eating beans, your gut may not be breaking them down properly. The lectins and saponins in legumes are hard for many people to digest.

Tomatoes, potatoes, and bell peppers are all part of the same family, but they can cause digestive problems for many people. Try to keep these foods to a minimum in your diet to avoid problems.

Trans fats and artificial fats are not found in nature, so your body does not know what to do with them. This results in bloating, cramps, and diarrhea. Avoid products that use these artificial ingredients, as well as artificial sugars, such as aspartame and others.

The gums used to thicken many foods can also result in digestive problems. Check the ingredients of the foods that you eat to see if they include xantham or guar gums. These can cause real problems for anyone who is suffering from irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive conditions.

Knowing about these problematic foods is important if you want to enjoy good digestive health. Keep an eye out for these ingredients when you are shopping at the grocery store. By adjusting your diet, you can start to feel better right away.

If your gut is unhealthy, the rest of your body will suffer as well. It is hard to enjoy robust good health when you are suffering from digestive problems. If you are not able to properly digest your food and absorb the nutrients that it contains, you are going to find it very difficult to be healthy.

To make sure that you have a happy and healthy digestive system, you need to give it the proper nutrients. You can’t just eat anything you want and assume that your diet contains the right vitamins, minerals, and other substances. Take the time to learn about the 3 essential nutrients for digestive health so that you can optimize your diet.

Glutamine is one of the most important amino acids in the body and is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. All of your cells require this substance to be active, and it is particularly important in your gut. The cells in your intestines rely upon glutamine for the energy that they need to digest your food, and it also plays an important structural role in your digestive system.

Glutamine helps make sure that the food moves properly through your gut. Gut motility is important if you want to avoid many digestive problems. High levels of glutamine are associated with greater motility in your intestines.

Blood flow is also improved by taking glutamine. Patients who suffer from colitis often see an improvement in their symptoms after taking glutamine, since it helps to improve blood flow to the inflamed region of the colon.

The combination of zinc and L-carnosine is another important nutrient to include in your diet if you are concerned about digestive health. L-caronosine is a form of protein that is found in your nerve cells and muscle cells. By combining it with zinc, you can help to reduce inflammation in the cells of your gut.

This combination was first discovered by Japanese researchers, but its use has spread around the world. Taking zinc and L-carnosine together can dramatically improve your digestive health. It has even been shown to help patients who are suffering from ulcers caused by bacteria.

Finally, the third essential nutrient for good digestion involves the use of probiotics. Your digestive system is home to literally billions of bacteria. Without them, you cannot properly digest your food. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that you need to have if you want to properly digest your food.

Your intestinal flora and fauna can become disrupted by many things, such as illness or the use of antibiotics. By taking probiotics, you can restore the natural balance to your intestines. Doing so can help you find the relief you seek from a wide range of digestive ailments.

Good health starts with good digestion. Keeping your gut healthy is important if you want to avoid many common health problems. Make sure that you include these three vital nutrients in your daily routine so that you can keep your digestive system working smoothly.

The average person tends to take their gut for granted. They believe that their body is capable of digesting almost all foods properly. This could not be further from the truth.

Improving Gut Health Vs Going on a Diet

The vast majority of the population knows that they need to eat better. However, some of these people think they need to invest in an expensive diet and/or supplements to achieve this goal.

People in this situation may be pleased to know that there are a few simple and cheap ways they can improve their digestion. A few of these are listed below.

1. Limit Drinks With Meals

Ideally, people should drink 30 to 60 minutes before or after their meal. Drinking during meals reduces hydrchloric levels in the body. Without enough HCL, the body cannot digest food quickly and smoothly.

Additionally, drinks that are room temperature are easier to digest. While dieters do not have to give up ice altogether, they may want to lessen the amount they put in their drinks.

2. Eat Fermented Foods

Because naturally fermented foods are a rich source of enzymes, they help break down food inside the body.

3. Add Homemade Broth to the Diet

Homemade broths made out of bones are easy to make and cheap. They also soothe and heal the gut.

4. Take Probiotics

Everybody has heard of the terms “good bacteria” and “bad bacteria”. When not enough good bacteria is present, bad bacteria flourishes.

As the North American diet is full of chemicals and more, dieters need to ensure that the good bacteria in their body repopulates properly. An easy way to do this is to take probiotics.

5. Reduce consumption of Refined Sugar and Grains

Sugar and refined foods feed bad bacteria such as thrush. This is bad news for the gut.

There are many reasons why a person may want to improve their gut health. The main purpose is to avoid uncomfortable sensations such as bloating, stomach pains and bowel problems.

The tips discussed above are only a small sample of steps people can take to boost their digestive health. If the steps are not working or the symptoms of gut problems are very severe, it may be time to see a doctor.

Visiting a doctor after experiencing gut problems is very important as there could be an underlying condition causing the problems. Illnesses like cancer have a better prognosis if they are treated early. It is for this reason that seeing a doctor in a timely fashion is so important.

It is also important to be aware that doctor’s advice can also help manage conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Proper medication and natural digestive tips can help change a stomach problem from unbearable to manageable.

Having digestive problems is neither fun nor desirable. There is no need to suffer when there are plenty of medical treatments and natural steps people can take to make sure that their body is doing its job properly.

Although many people are familiar with the word Naturopath there does tend to be some confusion as to what Naturopathy is and how that can benefit them. In general a Naturopathic Doctor takes the basic teaching of a doctor “above all, do no harm” and applies that to the whole “get well, stay well” philosophy of medicine. And, when a person has some kind of health problem, the first thing that the Doctor will do is get the body on a healthy diet, healthy exercise, totally cleansed, in order to make sure that a person isn’t the cause of their own bad health. Then, if any kind of a problem does persist, still the most likely solution will be to assist the body in treating itself, rather than just treating the symptoms of some disease with medicine. And logically speaking, many times if you just treat a disease with medicine, without discovering the root cause, you haven’t actually done anything but postpone the return of ill health.

Another key focus of Naturopathy is the prevention of disease, rather than the treatment after. By focusing on maintaining a proper diet designed to promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle, most diseases should never manifest themselves at all. When a patient loses their way and falls off of the path of wellness, then is when specific whole foods and herbal supplements can be used to return the body to its naturally balanced state, as it should be. In today’s world there are also many environmental factors beyond our control which can push a person into ill health such as air pollution, pesticides, herbicides, but still, in most cases the best protection is a complete and healthy diet, full of natural nutrients that block toxins from entering the cells so they can be flushed from the body on a daily basis.

Another consideration that the Dr. Naturopathy will be concerned with is the digestive track, including hydration, elimination, and absorption. Maintaining a healthy digestive tract through the use of probiotic foods and supplements has been found to be a key factor in the prevention of many chronic diseases including type II diabetes, arthritis, irritable bowel disease, ulcers and even some kinds of cancers and allergies. So, although it may seem unrelated to a particular disease, colon health can be a root cause of many chronic problems faced by patients after years of a diet dominated by fast foods and over-processed grains, meats, and snack foods.

So if years of poor eating has got you worried about your health, and you’re beginning to sense a general breakdown throughout your body, the first thing you should try is a consultation with a qualified Naturopath to see how far from the road of wellness you are, and what you can do to get healthy again.