Clients often complain about bloating and gas after meals. Sometimes it could be eating foods that you are intolerant to, such as gluten, dairy, soy, eggs or nightshades. If you’ve been free of those allergens, sometimes it could just be low digestive capacity; not enough enzymes to break down the foods.
Common factors that causes bloating
- Stress: there are two branches of the nervous system, “fight or flight” and “rest and digest”. Chronic stress leads an imbalance in the nervous system, favouring of the “fight or flight” branch, demonstrating symptoms such as reflux, spasm, cramping, gas and bloating.
- Side effects of prescription drugs: NSAIDs, antibiotics, diuretics, acid-blocking drugs all induce IBS-like symptoms.
- Insufficient HCl and digestive enzymes by the body.
The first step to digestion starts when food enters your mouth. You voluntarily chew and grind the food into slush as your salivary glands release amylase to break down carbohydrates. The process is completely involuntary right after you swallow your food, but don’t sweat, you can still debloat and heal low stomach acid and enzymes with these foods and supplements.
Foods and Digestive Enzymes to Improve Digestion
- Apple Cider Vinegar: the acidity will safely lower the pH in your stomach and prevent candida overgrowth.
- Probiotics: Intestinal bacterial provides digestive, immune and metabolic support.
- HCl Supplement: HCl breaks down protein molecules and acts as a defense against pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, yeast and viruses. Sufficient HCl is required to absorb essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron, vitamin C, B12, beta-carotene, magnesium, zinc, chromium, copper, vanadium, selenium and maganese.
- Digestive Enzymes: Digestive enzymes break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates into amino acids, fatty acids and sugars to be absorbed by the body.
Need help correcting your digestion issues? You may also want to learn about Metabolic Analysis, a method to we use determine the right foods and supplements for your body type or contact our Coaches to help you get started.