When you’re dealing with stomach issues, it’s never fun. Specifically, digestive issues are a common and pervasive problem among many adults today, and most of those people would be shocked to learn that many of the problems that they face are NOT due to old age but a rather, a gut microbiome imbalance. In order to take a serious look at your digestive health, it’s important to curate your diet and be sure that you aren’t eating something that could be creating the problem. Today, I will be sharing a few foods to avoid if you have digestion problems.
Fried Foods
This one should be relatively self-explanatory. Food fried in vegetable oils can be very toxic as these oils have lower smoking points. Once heated beyond that point to fry foods, the oil turns carcinogenic and can wreak havoc on the body. When the body has trouble metabolizing these fats and toxins, it will often try to dispose of them through other means like passing them as wastes, storing them in newly made fat cells, or through the skin, which can cause painful acne on the surface of the skin, which primarily manifests itself on the face. Try lightly glazing foods with organic avocado oil and baking for a similar and satisfying way to cook.
Dairy
While it’s easy to get a few nutrients from this category of food, many people don’t have the required enzymes to make sure that the processing of dairy products runs smoothly. This can result in a host of unpleasant side effects like bloating, gas, and cramping. Some people describe this as dairy intolerance. If you are able, try almond, hemp, or cashew milk as a relatively solid alternative.
Soda
Soda is essentially a liquid candy, and it is highly acidic. These types of drinks can cause the pH of your stomach to be somewhat off, and that can kill the good bacteria in your stomach, and feed the harmful bacteria, leaving you defenseless against the slowly multiplying colonies of harmful bacteria. This happens with diet soda as well, as chemical sweeteners are quite harmful to the gut microbiome balance. It would be best to avoid drinking sodas if you want to keep your stomach at a healthy operating level. A good substitute would be sparkling water (occasionally) or flat water with sliced lemon or lime.
Coffee
This is another highly acidic and often over-processed drink. It’s very important that you keep your stomach free from anything that will cause harmful bacteria to multiply without being regulated by the good bacteria that should be present in the body usually. It would probably be a better idea to choose darker teas to get your caffeine fix, or a healthy alternative to an energy drink.
RECIPE
SWEET SUNSHINE JUICE
Ingredients
- 1 green apple, peeled and cored
- 1 cup spinach
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 cucumber
- 2 lemons, peeled
Directions:
Juice all ingredients together in a juicer. Be sure to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly if the recipe includes the rind or skin. Again, use organic whenever possible.
To Your Health,
Patti
