How To Keep Your Digestive System Healthy

Your digestive system is where it all begins. You can’t produce energy, support your mood, or fight infections if you can’t digest, break down, and absorb nutrients. There are many simple things you can do to keep your digestive system healthy, many of which are completely free. Whether it’s exercise, stress reduction, or even enzyme or probiotic supplementation, all can provide enormous benefit to digestive processes.

5 Tips for Healthy Digestion

Digestion begins in the mouth when you begin to chew. In fact, just the act of chewing thoroughly can take a huge strain off your digestive system by prompting your body to provide enzymes to help digestion. Here are a few other things you can do to promote healthy digestion.

1. Follow a Clean Diet

Bananas contain approximately 15-20 percent of your daily fiber needs. Bananas also contain fructooligosaccharide, which is a natural compound that encourages growth of beneficial bacteria. This bacteria–termed “probiotics”–is responsible for a myriad of activities in your body, including facilitating the appropriate digestion and elimination of food. ^[1] This goes to show that diet, particularly a natural plant-based diet, is incredibly powerful for keeping your digestive system in check.

Green vegetables will also help keep your digestive system healthy for their high amounts of fiber, relatively low carbohydrate and sugar load, and good amounts of water. Foods like kale, spinach, wheatgrass, and alfalfa are all good choices to integrate into your diet. Broccoli sprouts are unsurpassed in their ability to stimulate enzymes that detoxify the digestive system. ^[2]

2. Exercise

Another thing you can do to benefit your digestive tract is to do some simple, daily exercises. The colon functions much more effectively when abdominal muscles are strong and consistently in motion. Crunches are an excellent way to strengthen these muscles and to improve your appearance at the same time, but simple walking can keep your digestive system healthy by improving blood flow to the intestines and colon. One study showed that women who walk daily were 31% less likely to develop colon cancer. ^[3]

3. Therapeutic Herbs

There are also herbs that can benefit your digestive tract. Two common varieties include organic cilantro and organic dandelion leaf. Cilantro oil is an enzymatic stimulant. It also helps our intestines secrete digestive acids and juices, and it adds fiber to the digestive process. Some people use cilantro to relieve stomach gas and flatulence. Organic dandelion leaf helps detoxify the digestive tract and help stimulate it when it becomes sluggish. It is one of the best herbs to take for promoting optimal digestive function.

4. Meditation

You can’t discount the effect of your mental health on your physical health. Stress is one of the most pervasive killers in our society. And while we can’t control every circumstance that causes stress, we can change the way we respond. When we’re stressed, our body goes into the “fight or flight” mode, switching off our digestion so we can run away or deal with the problem head on. ^[4]Meditation is an excellent way to relax and reduce stress, and studies show that relaxation is a powerful method for improving digestive health.

5. Probiotics and Enzyme Supplementation

One of the most important things you can ever do to keep your digestive system healthy is to cleanse it on a regular basis. A probiotic such as Latero-Flora may be helpful for replenishing your body’s supply of beneficial bacteria which your digestive tract actually needs. If you suffer from digestive issues of any kind, an enzyme supplement like VeganZyme, which contains no animal products, is designed to be an overall enhancer of optimal, ongoing digestive health.

One Final Thought

If you’re experiencing occasional digestive upset, taking these tips to heart may be the starting off point for getting back into shape. Consult with your doctor to see if other options are available, or to see if you are experiencing a deeper issue, like IBS or gluten intolerance. Even then, there is always a root cause, and you should do what you can with diet, exercise, and simple lifestyle modifications to get your body into an optimal state of health. Not only will you experience dramatic shifts in your digestion, you may notice your mood and outlook, energy levels, and thinking becoming clearer.

What are your thoughts on improving digestion? Do you have any tips that work for you? Please share them with us in the comments!

References:

1. Gage J. Understanding the role of probiotics in supporting digestive comfort. Nurs Stand. 2009 Sep 30-Oct 6;24(4):47-55; quiz 56.


2. Shapiro TA, Fahey JW, Wade KL, Stephenson KK, Talalay P. Chemoprotective glucosinolates and isothiocyanates of broccoli sprouts: metabolism and excretion in humans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001 May;10(5):501-8.


3. Hannah Arem, Ruth M. Pfeiffer, Eric A. Engels, et al. Pre- and Postdiagnosis Physical Activity, Television Viewing, and Mortality Among Patients with Colorectal Cancer in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study. Journal of Clinical Oncology. December 8, 2014. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.58.1355.


4. Teresa M Edenfield and Sy Atezaz Saeed. An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2012; 5: 131-141. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S34937.

4 Encouraging Facts About Food In America

In today’s society, rarely is the news positive. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, networks generally focus on stories that can leave us disheartened and upset. Even some natural health websites will shift their focus of educating their audience on the benefits of eating healthy toward capitalizing on fear about food in our country, warning people the dangers and seemingly disastrous state of dietary trends in America. Fortunately, there have been great strides in nutrition for many people all across the world, and the demand for healthy foods is creating wider availability.

4 Bits of Good News about Healthy Eating and Food in America

There is wonderful news coming from schools, farming, and market trends, and things are looking up for the organic food community. Here are some encouraging facts about our food system to hopefully help brighten your outlook.

1. Healthy Eating is Trending

Your parents, athletic coaches, and doctors probably consistently tell you to “eat healthier,” but newer generations seem to have taken this advice to heart with little coaxing. The latest market statistics indicate that generation Z and Millennials both will pay more of a premium for healthier foods than the Baby Boomer generation. ^[1]

2. Food Producers are Listening to Demand

It’s even been shown that farmers whose animals are pasture fed and non-GMO can actually make a better living by keeping their meat organic. ^[2] Claims have even been made that organic farming can “feed the world” ^[3] if implemented in the appropriate ways. The biggest benefit of organic farming, though, would most likely be the fact that organically grown crops have proven more drought resistant.

3. Schools are Offering Better Food

The nutritional value of traditional school lunches across the U.S. has been the subject of many heated debates. Perhaps you’ve seen the now popular images of school lunches around the world. ^[4] Now, some major U.S. school districts have taken the first step in providing healthier, more balanced lunches for our nation’s students, even opting to serve antibiotic-free chicken. ^[5] Perdue Farms has committed to taking its hatching chicks off antibiotics, and Chick-Fil-A has a five year plan to be antibiotic free. I personally find the best benefit in a raw, vegan diet and won’t be eating any of those foods. All in all, it’s still one step in a positive direction.

4. The Backlash Against GMO Foods is Growing

Even Hershey’s, the notable chocolate company, has elected to ban GM ingredients in their products! ^[6] With more and more notable members in this nation electing to offer healthier options for the food we put in our bodies, it’s hopeful that the number of people opting for healthier living will continue to grow.

References:

1. Horovitz, Bruce. Younger folks want healthier food – and will pay for it. USA Today. 2015.


2. Ortiz, Edward. Market speaks louder than science: GMO-free animals a good business model. The Sacramento Bee. 2014.


3. Bawden, Tom. Organic farming can feed the world if done right, scientists claim. Independent.co.uk. 2014.


4. Pinar. This is What School Lunches Look Like Around the World. Distractify. 2014.


5. Polansek, Tom. Big U.S. school districts plan switch to anti-biotic free chicken. Reuters. 2014.


6. Poulter, Sean. Hershey bans GM ingredients amid growing backlash of ‘Frankenstein food. Daily Mail. 2015.

Mothers’ Diets Have Biggest Influence On Children Eating Healthy, Study Suggests

Every once in a great while, a perfect child is born. One who never cries, sleeps all night, and gladly eats whatever food you choose to put in front of them.

But unfortunately for most of us with children, developing lifestyle habits, such as a healthy appreciation for nutritious fruits and vegetables, usually requires years of continual work.

New information recently released by researchers at Michigan State University’s College of Nursing helps to shed some light on the problem of establishing healthy dietary preferences in young children, and more importantly, may help both parents and medical professionals find more effective ways to approach it successfully ^[1].

Does Your Diet Really Affect Your Child’s?

In order to better understand the connection between mother’s dietary habits, and those of their children, researchers questioned almost 400 low-income women from all over the state with pre-school-aged children then currently enrolled in educational head start programs.

They found that the children whose mothers ate fewer than four servings of fruits and vegetables per week were less likely to consume the recommended number of servings themselves. Perhaps more interesting, was their discovery that children who were viewed as “picky eaters” by their mothers were also likely to consume an inadequate number of servings per week, regardless of the mother’s own dietary habits.

This has led the researchers behind the study to speculate on improved methods for encouraging better eating habits in children. Many nutritional specialists have become increasingly focused on making healthy foods appear fun and therefore more appealing to kids. And while a certain amount of progress has been made following this approach, it is far from a stand-alone solution.

Tips for Being a Better Influence for Your Child’s Diet

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to fall into a routine of serving your family convenience foods — especially when dealing with young children and toddlers, whose taste buds can be very difficult to please.

Still, the importance of developing smart dietary habits early in life cannot be overstated. Without a balanced and varied diet, growing bodies don’t get the vitamins and minerals they need to thrive.

By focusing directly on the food choices of mothers, experts may be able better influence the diets of their children. This is likely due to a combination of positive modeling and increased access to more nutritious foods.

There’s more to it than just working a few extra vegetables into dinner. (Although cooking meals at home instead of eating out every night is a smart first step for some.) Make sure that fresh snack options are also readily available for those in-between bouts of hunger. Not only is this better for your family’s health, replacing pr-epacked commercial snack products with seasonal organic fruits and vegetables or raw nuts and seeds is a great way to save money in the checkout line.

Parent’s of so-called “picky eaters” should also keep in mind that some children may need to be exposed to a given food as many as 15 times before they are able to decide whether or not they like it. So don’t give up just yet on convincing your little one that broccoli is good. In the long run, it’ll be worth the effort.

References:

1. Jill Vondrasek, Jason Cody. Mothers’ diets have biggest influence on children eating healthy. Michigan State University. 2010 December 14.