Make your tummy happy again

Ilike food – it’s good for us, but not always good to us. Heartburn, nausea, diarrhea and general stomach upset are some of the ailments that a pharmacist hears about every day. For some people, its a one-time occurrence. Sadly, for others, it’s a regular affair. Many of the problems of indigestion that I see are often preventable.

This month, I serve up my ideas about digestive health and dish out food for thought (sorry about the food jokes, folks).

Indigestion can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time, and can range from nausea to diarrhea. Most occurrences are short lived and have identifiable causes. Perhaps it is brought on by a stomach bug or by eating too much spicy salsa at a Mexican restaurant. Still, there are a few general warning sign to look for. Contact a doctor if you notice any of these symptoms: • Nausea that lasts longer than one day; • Diarrhea every one to two hours for two days; • High fever, chills or blurred vision; • Stools or vomit that are bloody or black; • Intense pain in the lower right side of your

abdomen (below your belly button); • Vomiting or diarrhea that persists for more than four hours in an infant or child. So how can you make your tummy happy again? The number one thing to improve the situation may not include the use of supplements or medications – just healthier eating habits.

WHAT’S THE HURRY?

Let’s begin with the basics – just slow down. Your food needs to be properly ground up (chewed) before it hits your stomach. Try this trick at your next meal. It may be harder than you think. Take a small mouthful of food, chew it at least 10 times, then put your fork or spoon down and wait for another 15 seconds. Many people tend to eat too quickly. This trick will help you to slow down your eating.

Eating too quickly does not allow your body to realize that it is full until its too late and you have eaten too much. The extra chewing time will also help if you suffer from heartburn.

HYDRATE WITH WATER

Next, I think water is an important factor. And I mean water, not sugary pop. Water provides a little extra volume and this can help your stomach to digest. The extra water also helps to fill up your stomach so you are less likely to overeat.

THE BENEFITS OF FIBRE

I can think of a few supplements that can be helpful for long-term digestive tract health. The first one is fibre. While you can get get extra fibre from drinks and capsules, real food is the best sourcet. Basically, brown grains, fruits, berries and vegetables contains some fibre. Fibre is helpful for digestion in many ways; first, it helps with constipation.

While this may seem obvious, most people do not get enough fibre in their diets. Small changes in your diet will enable you to increase your daily intake of fibre. Switch from white to whole grain bread, try a high fibre breakfast cereal, use brown rice instead of white, and eat at least one to two pieces of fresh fruit each day. You’d be surprised at how many people to not eat a single piece of fruit during the day.

Diets that are high in fibre have other health benefits, too. Increasing fibre intake can reduce the risk of colon cancer. This is mostly due to the reduction of intestinal transit time. Extra fibre also helps you to loose weight. It is thought that the extra bulk in your stomach helps you to feel fuller for longer periods of time, thereby reducing the desire to eat.

There is the thought that fibre can slow the digestion of sugars and help reduce further cravings. Fibre can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Let us not forget the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. This is primarily because fibre can help to reduce cholesterol levels. Is this enough reasons to encourage you to get more fibre in your diet? I promise to stop if you go and eat an apple.

Fibre contains abundant complex carbohydrates that are beneficial to normal gastrointestinal flora. Gastrointestinal flora is a fancy name for the good bacteria (probiotics/acidophilus) in your intestines.

PROBIOTICS FOR GUT HEALTH

Your intestines are inhabited by over 100,000 billion microscopic organisms. Some of these are disease causing pathogens, some are viruses and others are yeasts. But most of them are bacteria which are beneficial to your health. The helpful bacteria in your digestive tract are commonly referred to as probiotics. It is thought that there are over 1000 different types of friendly bacteria in your intestines.

What can probiotics do for your health? Its a very competitive world in your digestive tract; in general, probiotics try to occupy as much space as possible. Probiotics also help to keep other bad bacteria and yeast from residing there. All bacteria (both good and bad) alter the local environment to suit their particular needs. Probiotics release hydrogen peroxide and organic acids and prevent bad bacteria and yeast from living there.

They also release direct bacteria toxins to prevent the growth of other bad bacteria. While this does not sound very neighbourly, all of this activity is in your best interest. It is believed that good bacteria can actually help to strengthen the lining in your intestines. Improved cell lining can reduce the ability of foreign bacteria to cause infections.

Perhaps you have seen the TV commercials promoting certain brands of yogurt to help with regularity. There’s a bit of truth to this. One of the benefits of probiotics is that they can help reduce colonic transit time. A longer colonic transit time can cause symptoms of bloating, constipation and the sensation of incomplete evacuation. It has been found that consuming one to three servings of yogurt (Activia brand) daily helps to reduce colonic transit time. This leads to greater regularity and reduced symptoms of gas and bloating in the lower intestines.

UPSET TUMMY RELIEF

So what do you do for an upset stomach right now? Tums or Rolaids? Many times, these simple antacids can help indigestion and heartburn by neutralizing excess stomach acid. They are also a good source of calcium for those who don’t like swallowing those large calcium supplements. Generally, if you have to take more than eight antacid tablets a day for indigestion, you should talk to your doctor. Check with a Heart Pharmacy pharmacist because antacids can interact with certain medications, especially those used to treat osteoporosis and certain antibiotics.

HERBAL RELIEF

A few herbals that I like to recommend for indigestion include peppermint, chamomile and ginger. Ginger tea is very helpful for any stomach upset or nausea. Dice about one-half inch of fresh ginger root and place it in one-half litre of water. Bring it to a slow boil, reduce to low and cover. Then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon juice and honey to taste. Even easier, Gravol makes a chewable form of ginger tablets.

Peppermint is another herb that can be helpful for indigestion. Like other herbal teas, it is best to brew peppermint in a covered cup, to avoid loosing the medicinal oils that could evaporate. Let tyour tea brew for up to ten minutes. In rare instances, peppermint can worsen heartburn. Other than that, there are few adverse effects or contra-indications with taking peppermint. There is still an enteric-coated peppermint oil capsule

(Colpermin) available which is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

Iberogast is a new supplement that is available for indigestion. Some people have found this product to be helpful for all sorts of stomach ailments. It is a mixture of various plant extracts: chamomile, clown’s mustard, angelica root, caraway, milk thistle, lemon balm, celandine, licorice root and peppermint. All of these herbals have historical use in treating digestion ailments. A few studies have shown that when taken long term, Iberogast can help reduce symptoms of heartburn, stomach pain, cramping and nausea.

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

No article on digestion can be complete without mentioning supplemental digestive enzymes. Normally, our digestive tracts produce enzymes that help break down food into easily absorbable parts. Sometimes this system may not work perfectly. Undigested fats, starches and proteins that make it to the large intestine may cause diarrhea, gas and unpleasant symptoms. Taking extra digestive enzyme supplements may help your body’s natural digestive process and reduce gastrointestinal upset. Better still, with each meal, eat plenty of raw foods such as, salad, carrot sticks and raw vegetables and fresh fruit. Unprocessed fruits and vegetables contain natural digestive enzymes.

Perhaps the best tip for good digestive health is if you know something will upset your stomach, then avoid it. Don’t get me wrong, I value the necessity of an occasional indulgence of gastronomic hedonism, but I also know that I can’t eat New York fries and a caramel macchiato without getting an upset stomach.

Remember to eat slowly and chew your food. You spend good time and good money on it – so enjoy it. Be good to your stomach and it will be good to you.