Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
DIGESTIVE HEALTH 101
There are steps you can take to improve digestion as you age
If you’re over 30 and find yourself having more bloating, gas, nausea, belching, heartburn, constipation and diarrhea after meals, it might be an indication that your digestive system is going through some adjustments relative to your age.
But don’t fret, because according to Loren Hall, Certified Natural Health Practitioner and Certified Nutrition Consultant at Vegha Nutrition and Wellness, there are specific things you can do to support this process.
“Digestive enzymes begin to naturally decrease around age 30 and continue as we age,” Hall said. “Healthy diet, exercise, hydration and eating slowly — and chewing our food thoroughly — aid in slowing the decline.”
Hall, who services clients in Berks, Chester and Lancaster County, in addition to remote clients nationwide, shared the natural changes you should expect from your body when it comes to your digestive health.
“Enzymes are produced in our mouth (salivary glands), stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine,” she said. “As we age and the functioning of those organs decline, so can their ability to produce the needed amount of enzymes to properly digest food.”
Hall said the supplementation of digestive enzymes such as hydrochloric acid, bile salts or pancreatic enzymes may be needed if a person begins to experience bloating, gas, nausea, excess burping or belching, heartburn, constipation or diarrhea
after meals.
“It may indicate their body is lacking in the digestive enzymes or probiotics needed to properly digest food,” she said.
Digestive challenges
For those struggling with digestive challenges,
Hall encouraged reaching out to a nutritional counselor or integrative nutritionist to gain insight and guidance on how to address your symptoms and uncover the root cause.
“Under the guidance of a trained nutritional counselor or integrative nutritionist, you will discuss
the many issues at the root of poor digestion,” Hall said. “Some of the topics you will discuss include proper food combining, which includes pairing the right foods together, significantly decreasing digestive stress and allowing for optimal digestion.”
If taking the route of
food combining, for example, Hall illustrated some suggested pairing tips.
“General food combining tips such as pairing proteins and non-starchy vegetables together, eating fruits separately from other foods and drinking only a small amount of fluid during your meals can generally be of tremendous help to anyone suffering with digestive challenges,” she said.
But more measures might need to be taken if food combining isn’t enough to alleviate symptoms.
“Finding out what foods your body is sensitive or intolerant to may also shed light on troubling symptoms,” she said. “Once these foods are uncovered, supplementation of digestive aids may be recommended.”
Food sensitivities and challenges
Hall said that because each person might have a different digestive challenge, any food sensitivities and intolerances need to be assessed on an individual basis.
“What may be helpful to one person may be harmful to another,” she said, adding that some strategies she typically recommends can apply to all. “I recommend switching from highly saturated fats and oils to ghee, avocado or walnut cooking oils, which are nourishing to the microbiome and brain.”
She also recommends that it is ideal to eliminate pre-packaged foods and refined sugars.
“Instead, eating whole, nutrient-rich, organic fruits, vegetables and grains are also key,” Hall said. “Organic, free-range and grass-fed proteins are encouraged in place of highly processed meats and luncheon meats.”
Hall said that much of what we consider to be the standard American diet is, in fact, what is leading our country to have the highest rate of disease and obesity in the world.
“Prepackaged foods, processed foods and highly refined foods, such as prepackaged meats, grains, oils, sugars and fats, all cause inflammation and disruption in the gut microbiome,” she said. “They are very difficult to digest and have little to no absorbable nutrients.”