Digestive Health

Many of you know my story as I have walked through finding solutions and products to support my digestive health.  I recently shared my experience with a small group of people a couple weeks ago, but thought I would add my thoughts to this blog for those who were unable to make it and who might benefit from my experience.

Following is a quick and brief run down of what I have discovered:

Digestive Health is benefited by-

1.  A healthy diet
There is no way around it.  No matter how much we do not like this answer, because it requires work on our part and personal responsibility (if you are like me, you want to have your cake and eat it too!), the truth is our digestive system is benefited best when we have a solid foundation based on a healthy diet.  The reason for this is really simple.  Our bodies were not made to deal with and process the additives and preservatives, fried foods and fat that we often consume.  We put a  lot of stress on our bodies when we consume these types of food on a daily basis.  Granted, busy lives often lead to eating highly processed foods.....its why my family still eats them sometimes.  Believe me, we are not 100% whole foods and organic at our house.  Right now in our lives, it is hard for us to sustain that every day.  However, neither are busy lives an excuse to eat poorly.  We are definitely going to have busy days, busy weeks, and crazy months, but the point is, our focus is to make as many healthy food choices as possible.  Sometimes, this change can feel overwhelming and so it is best to begin with small changes.  The next time you are at the store, instead of purchasing a container of Oreos to snack on, pick up a few of your favorite fruits....still sweet, but healthy.  Or instead of purchasing white rice, try a bag of brown rice.  When purchasing meat, buy as organic and hormone free as possible.  At a restaurant?  Choose a side salad with vinaigrette in place of a French fries and skip the dessert.  Building a base of a healthy diet can be done in "bite sizes" and over a period of time.  Instead of thinking about making this change for the rest of our life (sometimes overwhelming), think about making these changes one meal at a time.  Focus on lean proteins, fruits, and veggies that are as unprocessed as possible.  There really are only two rules ;)  Have fun exploring with food and when you do have an off day or even an off month (cause they do happen), don't beat yourself up.  Just move forward and begin again.

2.  Exercise

Ugh!  I Know.  That word is worse than saying healthy diet, right?  It's ok.  I understand!  We don't like this one either.....it requires us to make time in an already very busy world, not to mention, it makes us move and who wants to do that!?  But I can promise you, once you have gotten past the point of lacing up your shoes and stepping outside, you have won the battle of talking yourself out of it.  Often the hardest part is convincing yourself to put your shoes on!  The benefits of exercise are numerous, but for the sake of this blog, I will focus on the fact that it helps your digestive system function.  To try to say this nicely, it keeps things flowing....if you know what I mean.  It also releases endorphins which promote more energy and positive, happy feelings....something we can all use.  This task of adding exercise into your life, might feel just as insurmountable as changing eating habits, but it can be done in baby steps too.  If you have never exercised before, no worries!  Keep it simple.  Find three days in your week and in those three days find 15 minutes.  Put your shoes on.  Go for a walk.  Go for a bike ride.  Go for a swim, if it is warm enough :)  Do a rotation of jumping jacks, walking in place, leg lifts, and crunches.  It really doesn't matter what you pick as long as you are moving.  Just make sure it is something you enjoy doing, because if you hate it, you will not continue with it.  As you begin to do this, it won't be long before 15 minutes seems easy, so you bump your 15 minutes up to 20.  Before you know it, you might be up to an hour jog :)  The point is, it is doable!

3.  Digestive Aides

Often, digestive aides is the first thing we want to jump to.  Mainly because it is easier to think about popping pills or drinking an energy drink than it is dedicating yourself to making the above life changes.  However, digestive aides cannot and will not benefit your body as well on there own if you are not using them in conjunction with the first two steps.  They are aides not miracles and they come along side a healthy lifestyle in order to enhance the work you are already doing.  There are several products that I have personally found to be very beneficial to supporting my digestive health.  You might ask, if you are eating really healthy and exercising then why do you need digestive aides?  Good question.  The answer is this: in my personal life, no matter my best intentions to eat perfectly healthy, to exercise, to not take in additives and preservatives, to eat whole foods....I can't do it perfectly all the time and even the times I have been very faithful, sometimes my body simply still acts up.  So the aides help me fill in the gaps of the off days, the sick days, the days where my hours seem to just disappear and night time falls before I get any exercise in.  We all have those days.....weeks....and sometimes even months.  The truth is life happens and interrupts our best intentions.  Digestive aides fill in those gaps.   They help support our best intentions.  Digestive Aides can include but are not limited too:

-Digestive Enzymes (they help break down dairy, fat, and protein)
-Daily Vitamins which support cellular health as well as minerals and vitamins and also include Omega 3 oils (these products support overall body health and function and help us to obtain the vitamins and minerals needed for our cells to function properly.  The goal is to get these vitamins and minerals through our diet as stated above.  Vitamins support that goal.)
-Peppermint Oil (calms occasional stomach upset and discomfort)
-Digestive Blend Oil (calms occasion stomach upset and discomfort as well as aides in healthy elimination of body waste)

The Digestive Enzymes and Vitamins are something I take on a daily basis.  The oils are back ups for occasional stomach upset and irregular bowel movements (Sorry, I pondered on how to say that in a nicer way, but there just is not a nicer way of explaining it)

I hope as you read this, if you are dealing with digestive issues, that you have found some encouragement and some answers in how to better support your digestive health.  Digestive issues can be very discouraging and overwhelming and it is good to share our journeys with each other.

If you are interested in knowing more specifically which products I personally use, or if you have questions, feel free to contact me at wilson.melody.j@gmail.com.

Have a blessed day!