The key to festive happiness this year? Look after your guts!

As Hippocrates said, “All disease starts in the gut”

Our understanding of many modern diseases is being transformed by recent discoveries about the incredible microbiome. It’s strange that it seems so new to us, given that Hippocrates is quoted as having made the connection between disease and gut health over 2,000 years ago.

But somehow over time, this Hippocratic wisdom has become lost on us, as we have increasingly been drawn towards quick-fix pills and other potions, only to find that the side effects can trigger even worse conditions than those they were intended to treat.

What exactly is the microbiome?

It’s widely known that we have both good and bad bacteria in our gut, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  In fact, the microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microbial cells, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and archea. Together these microbes weigh about 1.5kg in the average person and significantly outnumber non-microbial cells.

As we now know, the body functions as an interconnected system, meaning that what happens in our digestive system can affect many other bodily processes, so the vast network known as the microbiome has a huge influence on how our entire body performs, not just our digestion.

What is a healthy digestive system?

Typically in western cultures, a heathy gut generally means regular and easy bowel movements, at least once a day. But people in countries and cultures where they have a less processed diet, might expect to have a bowel movement after each meal – so that’s three times a day.

It’s fair to say that in the west, our digestive systems have become ‘sluggish’. This is to say that the peristaltic wave (the muscles involved in moving food and waste through our stomachs and intestines and eventually out through our bowel) has become slower. As a result, digestive transition is slower – and this can be a cause of conditions such as SIBO, (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

Signs of digestive stress

Bloating or cramping after eating can indicate that you’re finding certain foods difficult to digest, possibly due to a lack of appropriate enzymes or microbes to break them down. Tiredness after eating can be common, especially after a carbohydrate-biased meal; this is usually due to the extra work our system has to do during digestion, as blood is re-directed to the stomach and associated processes, leaving us less energetic and less likely to want to exercise. So it follows that taking it easy for an hour or two after eating a big meal is perfectly natural and actually quite beneficial, as people living in siesta-loving countries will attest to!

Not enough digestive juices or too many?

Many people associate heartburn or acid reflux, also referred to as GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder) with too much stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid, or HCl), which is also associated with stomach ulcers, in which stress also play its part.

But it’s important to remember that as we age, our bodies tend to produce less stomach acid, which is needed to break down food – so a lack of stomach acid can also be a cause of acid reflux. In either case, eating moderately is a good idea.

That said, as we approach the holiday season, here are a few health hacks to help limit the damage cause by the almost inevitable festive over-indulgences!

Sugar

As boring as it sounds, reducing sugar is nearly always the answer to most digestive complaints. It’s an inflammatory substance in every sense of the word and it can make auto-inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis much worse. Once sugar is greatly reduced or eradicated from their diet, sufferers will find symptoms typically improve.

Help – I’ve eaten too much!

Salty foods can make our stomachs feel constricted, so if all your good intentions go out the window and you’re feeling very uncomfortable (even in a stretchy elasticated waistband), a little sugar after a big savoury meal can ease that discomfort.

But that’s not an excuse to eat half a box of minty chocolates, no matter how wafer– thin they are*! As usual, everything in moderation and everything in balance is the key.

Don’t forget, a gentle walk and sitting up straight can help massively too.

Keep some Milk Thistle in your store cupboard

For extra support, try VitOrtho’s Milk Thistle formula, which contains 80% silymarin extracted from the fruit and seed of the plant. In addition to milk thistle’s well-known liver-support properties, this formula includes choline and dandelion, making it ideal for helping detox the liver and manage alcohol-related or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It’s a great store cupboard supplement and worth using during periods when you know you’ll drink more alcohol than normal, or when you are looking to detox naturally. More on that in another blog soon, but if you need more information do get in touch via our contact form.

Other health hacks to help digestion

• If you’re having digestive problems, try a tablespoon of cider vinegar in a small cup of water 20 minutes before a meal. It will help stimulate your digestive juices – and acts like Hydrochloric acid – mimicking your stomach acid.
• Any fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut or natto can help with building up the diversity and numbers of our microbiome.
• Alternatively, try VitOrtho’s multi-strain biotic with 10 strains of 8 billion live bacteria including Lactospore, which is specifically beneficial for all kinds of IBS.
• For heartburn or acid reflux, try a quarter teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in half a cup of water – it will alkalise your system and should reduce symptoms immediately.
• Be careful of off-the-shelf acid reflux remedies, as they usually contain mint which actually (contrary to popular opinion) can have a negative effect on acid reflux in the longer term.
• For indigestion symptoms, try a liquorice tea or chew on some liquorice bark (or even a small brandy or whisky – just a little one can’t hurt!)

When it comes to gut health, there are still so many questions still being studied and researched. What is a healthy digestive system? How do we know what to look out for? How can we improve our digestion? Is it driven by our genes, or is it purely down to lifestyle choices?

But returning to Hippocrates’ words, it’s clear that keeping our gut healthy is key to our overall health and wellbeing. We hope we’ve begun to answer some of these questions and inspired you to continue reading and researching for yourself.

Just remember, every body is different.

Happy holidays – to your health!

 

*Don’t blame VitOrtho for encouraging you and we take no liability if you do eat the lot 😊